Veterans' garden built using A14 roadwork materials

A garden at a new veteran support centre has been made possible through donations from a National Highways road project in Northamptonshire.

The team working on the A14 Nene Viaduct maintenance scheme donated 250 sandbags, five tonnes of hardcore and 2,400kg (2.4 tonnes) of topsoil to the garden at The Veterans Cottage in Corby.

The centre supports veterans with wellbeing, networking and recruitment.

Garden designer and former soldier Garry Wall said: "The support was absolutely brilliant, and without the donations, the charity just wouldn't have been able to achieve something like this."

The materials were used to create a path and foundations for a monument and a rockery.

The space has been designed to create a serene space for veterans and their families.

Wall, 57, from Corby, who served in the British Army for 12 years, called for donations after designing the garden with a sandbag wall feature and borders.

He said: "The garden was a nice space before, but now there's seating areas, it's got fragrance and colour, and it's become a welcoming, relaxing space for everyone."

The A14 Nene Viaduct scheme, which finished this year, replaced old and noisy bridge joints between junction 10 at Islip and junction 13 at Thrapston.

Simon Wagstaff, project manager at National Highways, said donating to the charity's garden had been a "valuable project" for the team to support.

"At National Highways we aim to leave a positive impact on the communities close to our schemes and appreciate everyone's patience over the last year during our vital work to update the bridge joints," he said.

Catherine Slevin, founder of The Veterans Cottage, said: "Their generous donation of materials has helped transform our garden into a welcoming space where veterans, serving personnel and their families can meet, reflect and enjoy time together."

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