Appleseed Landscaping - one of our volunteers

Nikki Sharp is a 17 year old volunteer working with Appleseed Landscapes to develop his job prospects, hoping to develop skills in horticulture to progress into employment.




Nikki is Autistic, a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. Nikki has been working with Appleseed since November after hearing about the prospects Appleseed had to offer through his Social Worker/Employment Advisor. Nikki is unique in England as he is the first and only volunteer to be offered this pilot contract, which is ongoing until Nikki is placed in employment.



Nikki has developed practical skills in weeding, flower planting, strimming, tree planting, and also building compost bins from previously used timber. Nikki’s helper Lisa Stock claims that the placement has done wonders for Nikki’s confidence, and has helped him build this to the extent of being able to apply for jobs he would never have considered before the placement, as well as producing a CV.

Nikki, the self proclaimed biggest “Only Fools and Horses” fan in the world, and model plane building enthusiast, has managed to involve himself in many other charity projects including work with Disabled Equipment Sent Overseas working within Ghana, who believe that “together we can make a change in the lives of all people with disabilities, children and adults, by providing special equipment, support, education, and training for everyday life and sports, and to help disabled people in developing countries to fulfil their full potential in life.” Not only does Nikki’s work with Disabled Equipment Sent Overseas involve him donating toys and clothes, but also loading lorries with the donated items and helping transport them and unload them into warehouses before shipment. His training at Appleseed has also helped him become a part of a team designing garden projects within Ghana.

When Nikki was asked if he had any advice for people similar to him wanting to get involved in volunteer projects he replied, “Don’t be scared, give it a try.” Nikki’s helper can clearly see the benefits for Nikki and also the benefits the scheme could have for others like him, explaining “Nikki enjoys being out of the house; he loves driving to the different projects” and her description of the change in Nikki’s confidence and the skills he has learnt whilst working with Appleseed Landscaping clearly state the benefits of Appleseed Landscapes' remit to help people developing employment prospects.

Nikki would like to thank everybody at Appleseed but especially Steve, Jamie, Rob and Trevor Scandrett for their help and support.