An over-50s club is calling on the people of Romford to help keep its garden from going to seed.

In years gone by, the Romford War Memorial Social Club on Eastern Road had landscaped grounds with plants and flowers for the building’s users to tend and enjoy.

But the outdoor area is now overgrown with weeds – and the club is asking green-fingered locals to help get it thriving once more.

The club’s Jai Sepple said: “We cleared it all out last year – there were four of us with bleeding fingers. But within two months it grew back again.

“The London Probation Service has helped us clear it out again, but we can’t afford the bark to stop the weeds growing back. If it grows back again like it did last year it’ll be really depressing.”

Mr Sepple said he was looking for locals to donate plants and bark, as well as gardeners who could volunteer their time and skills.

“We get a lot of comments from people about how lovely the gardens looked,” he said.

“Now it’s stuck in the middle of a great big high-rise office block and it’s a little haven. To be able to have plants and flowers in the middle of Romford would be a fantastic thing and I know the elderly members would appreciate it.”

The restoration of the garden is part of a plan to renovate the whole social club, which was built in the 1950s by public subscription to commemorate Romford’s war dead.

If you can spare plants or time to help the project, please contact the club on 01708 742 862.