A GARDENING charity is set to flourish after receiving a cash boost.

Gardening Leave, which helps veterans and currently serving Armed Forces personnel, has been given £3,050 from Glasgow Airport's FlightPath Fund.

The charity was set up in 2007 and now has bases in Ayrshire, London and Erskine to help men and women struggling to cope after life in the field.

Bosses will use the cash to develop a Wild Bird project - encouraging different species of birds to visit the Gardening Leave site at Erskine Hospital.

Heather Budge-Reid from Gardening Leave, said: "At Gardening Leave we try to find skills that veterans used in their Forces life and find a way for them to be used constructively in civilian life, making the transition that little bit easier.

"The same skills can be used to identify aeroplanes, tanks and uniforms as birds and so we encourage veterans to take part in citizen science projects at our sites such as the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch. Veterans at Gardening Leave Erskine enjoy doing this and have recently built a bird hide in the garden.

"This donation will help us really bring this part of our work to life and will benefit all those who attend our project as well as local wildlife."

Councillor Sam Mullin of Renfrewshire Council, who sits on the FlightPath Fund committee, said: "Gardening Leave does a very inspiring job providing tailored therapy sessions for our service men and women and I'm delighted the Glasgow Airport FlightPath Fund is supporting such a worthwhile programme.

"Not only will this donation help the service users, it will also encourage greater biodiversity in Erskine by enticing more wildlife into the garden.

"The FlightPath Fund's three focus areas are education, employment and the environment, and this project certainly fits into all three categories."

hannah.rodger@eveningtimes.co.uk