I work in a big school where I am employed to help out with the PE department. I love the work and really enjoy being outdoors every day. Recently I was also asked to help with the Sports Ground Maintenance as the person who used to do the Sports Ground Maintenance has left for alternative employment. At first, I was really hesitant as I was not sure what Sports Ground Maintenance involved but, once it was explained to me, I realised that I would really enjoy this part of the job as well. I must say that I feel extremely lucky to have been employed in my present role because I love working with children and get a real sense of achievement in making a difference in their lives, however small. I also love the fact that I work outdoors every day as I could not stand to be cooped up behind a desk in an office day after day. I think this would send me completely insane. I really think that my health benefits from my job as well since I have got really clear skin and I am sure it is because of all the exercise I get daily. Just think if I was stuck inside every day, I am sure I would have that pale, washed out look that I see so many people wearing.

For more information about Sports Ground Maintenance, this article or the author visit http://www.rer-group.co.uk/ground_maintenance.php

I`ve been watching the latest series of River Cottage with great interest because there`s a strong focus on people growing their own fruit and vegetables. I`d dearly like to get involved with a project of this nature and I`m sure my kids would love to grow their own produce as well. I reckon we could start off tentatively in our own garden if we bought a few raised garden beds. They`d be ideal for our children because the beds are at just the right height for the kids to plant seeds in. Start of small that`s what I say with a couple of the raised garden beds and then we can see where our new hobby takes us. The great thing about the garden beds is they allow you to create the ideal soil conditions for growing needs. The beds are raised and this allows for better drainage thus enabling crops to grow far more freely. The versatility of the raised garden beds means they can be located anywhere so anyone can have a go at growing their own crops. A home could have the tiniest garden imaginable but one of the beds would fit easily into it and folks could tend to their crops within this kind of setting. As a fan of River Cottage I`ve been inspired to buy some of the raised garden beds as I think our family could become green fingered in the future.