Good Morning, Lovelies! My name is Stefanie and I am trying to get my garden sorted for my son's 10th birthday on the 21st of July. Not only for him, if I'm being honest. We also have a gorgeous 1-year-old and it would be lovely to have a safe outdoor space for both of them.

We moved into our home last October and we're so excited to finally have a garden after 10 years. Our son has never had an outdoor space to play in, and he has asked for a garden party this year. 😊 So, we did what any good parents would do; we rolled up our sleeves and got cracking.

Then the problems started. Not only is the soil 80% stones and 10% clay, but the rest is items left over from the previous tenants who seemed to have had issues with substances (no judgment, we all have demons). This means that as we've started digging, we've found items that are completely unsafe for children to be around—sharp metal objects, glass scattered everywhere, and some substance waste that was disposed of safely.

We got in touch with the council who we rent the house through, and after four weeks of back and forth, an inspector finally came out. He took one look and said they wouldn't sort it out because I had signed a contract; I took on the garden as is. Feeling completely deflated, I thanked him for his honesty and he left.

I had just started a TikTok journey to pay down debt when some of my wonderful followers suggested creating a donations page since it will cost a lot to hire a mini digger, a wacker plate, and a skip to take away the contaminated soil. This decision has weighed heavily on my mind; as much as I want to do this alone, I'm not too proud to admit that we need help.

Any donations would be greatly appreciated and would go directly towards getting the garden ready in time—giving my children not only a safe space but also a fun one as well. I can't wait to see my son's face on his birthday with the finished garden!

Thank you for reading this very long message and thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. If you'd like to follow our journey, I'm over on TikTok. 💚stefanielockyer💚