During the past year, a local man from Burton Joyce has been busy creating colourful beer keg planters to raise money for charity.
A Burton Joyce resident, who would like to remain anonymous under the alias of Dave Brents, has been busy recycling used beer kegs into planters to raise money for Ducklings charity.
His idea began as the simple recycling of a couple of beer kegs that he accumulated during the first lockdown. Dave said, “When lockdown started in 2020, I like many others, started to buy the occasional 5 litre keg of Ale from local breweries. Partly because we couldn’t go out, partly to support local business and partly as there were limited options of what we could do!”
“After popping a couple in the recycling bin, I felt that it was a real waste of resources as they were a great size for small planters… good for bedding plants, herbs and many small plants.
“I experimented and found a way to remove the tops, clean them and make the edges safe for fingers. I randomly chose some spray paint colours and the best by far were the brightest! I made a few for my own garden.
“At some point in late 2020, a friend of mine who works as a teacher at the Ducklings QMC school suggested that the planters were so good that I could sell them. Later he told me about The Ducklings charity and the work that they do at the hospital. I had not heard of Ducklings before and as my wife and I had raised around £3000 for Bowel Cancer in 2020, it seemed a logical progression to make lots of planters and sell them for a charity so close to home.
Ducklings: The Charity of the Nottingham Children’s Hospital School was hatched in 2016, their purpose being to raise much needed funds to enhance the lives of their pupils and families who are admitted to hospital in any way they can.
Dave continued, “In early 2021 I started collecting 5L casks from friends and colleagues and turning them in to planters but I very quickly found that the cost of making them was too high compared to my selling price. So, one night I decided that I would ask Burton Joyce for help. The response was overwhelming.”
Dave had donations of topsoil, bags of compost, sand, spray paint, and hundreds of plants delivered to his house, and even a £50 donation sent from Australia to help fund the project.
To help even more, local businessman Duncan Horton of Motors for You Nottingham Ltd approached breweries and car paint suppliers and sourced a significant amount of paint and the support of Magpie Brewery who were already keen to recycle their kegs.
Fellow villager Ted Stacey has been assisting the project in making the planters, Dave said that he “vastly improved the way I was making them so that it took less time and meant I could donate more to Ducklings.”
“The result has been that through donations, the support of local business and the kindness of everyone involved, I was able to donate £1000 to Ducklings. Whilst the project continues (after a re-set and a break to see my family!) I anticipate selling all through 2021 until late summer when I may rethink.
“I want to thank the people of Burton Joyce, Duncan Horton of Motors for You Nottingham Ltd, Magpie Brewery and Ted Stacey (a wonderful man).”
For more details on the incredible work of the Ducklings charity, please visit: www.ducklings.org.uk