WITH this fine array of gardening tools, these boys meant business.

They were a group of pupils at South Oxford Secondary School who had agreed to help elderly and disabled people with their gardens.

Their message, to coin a phrase from wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill, was: “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.”

It was an initiative which had been started by Oxford City Council’s social services department in 1967.

A large number of elderly and disabled people had been in touch, asking if there was any possibility of help to keep their front and back gardens neat and tidy.

As old age crept on and infirmity increased, the days when they could do the work themselves were over.

The requests were passed to Teresa Smith, who had just been appointed the council’s organiser of young people’s voluntary work, and she immediately took up the challenge.

She co-opted a number of volunteer groups from schools, youth clubs, the university, churches and other organisations.

Among them were 14- and 15-year-old pupils from South Oxford School, who spent every Tuesday morning working on various community service schemes.

Using what tools that were available, the various groups had been able to tackle 25 gardens in just a few months, cutting grass and clearing weeds and debris, much to the delight of the owners.

But there was one big snag.

Many of the people the groups were helping did not have the necessary equipment or the garden tools they had were in a bad state of repair.

So, after taking up the full-time post as voluntary work organiser, Mrs Smith issued an appeal for good quality tools so that more people could be helped.

The response was excellent.

A fine selection arrived from firms anxious to help and from wellwishers with tools to spare.

Apart from the tools you see in the picture above, a lawn mower was also delivered.

The boys from South Oxford School were given the task of getting all the implements in working order and they were then made available to the various groups.

The scheme, however, wasn’t restricted to gardening – other young volunteers helped with decorating, spring cleaning, shopping, repair work or simply sat down for a chat over a cup of tea.