FOUR of the apprentices from Aberdeen Standard Investments, based in Edinburgh, are participating in the Scottish Apprenticeship Challenge this year and one of them is from Lochgelly..

The aim of the challenge is to carry out a project which benefits a local community and it was residents of Lochgelly's Graham Court who benefited.

Nicole Wallace (Lochgelly), Cara McNair (Dunfermline), Hannah Smith (Craig Leith, Edinburgh) and Rory Spence (North Berwick) decided to refurbish the front and back garden areas of the Sheltered Housing Complex at Wilson Bruce Court, off Russell Street.

Before, the garden areas were overgrown with weeds, full of litter and covered in moss, with a majority of the tenants agreeing that the garden was unusable.

The apprentices set up a JustGiving page and fundraised just over £500, with donations from the Aberdeen Charitable Foundation, members of staff within Aberdeen Standard Investments and £100 kindly donated from Next.

The money was spent on paint, plants, new benches, tools and garden decorations.

The apprentices used three Volunteer Leave Days and with the help of volunteers from the business managed to transform the front and back areas into peaceful, relaxing areas the tenants can now access and use as they please.

Said Nicole: "The back garden was something the tenants were keen to be able to use in order to gain some privacy and peace.

"We managed to clean down the overgrown, moss covered back area and add new plant pots filled with flowers, some garden lighting, decorations and two brand new benches. "The front area was also somewhere that needed attention and the tenants wanted it to be welcoming to family and friends visiting the complex."

The apprentices tidied up the overgrown, untidy front grass area and covered it with bark and planters with decorative fencing added at the edge.

The existing front two benches were also sanded down and repainted along with the front garden being weeded and tidied up. The tenants of Wilson Bruce Court are pleased with the work that has been done with many now making use of the back garden area and enjoying the garden views from their flats.

The apprentices will present their project at the Scottish Apprenticeship Award Night on Tuesday October 23.