Sonny's Army cleans up overgrown Jaywick field so children can enjoy summer sun

Sonny’s Army was founded by Bobbie-Jean Cook, 13, and Destiny Hannam, 17, after their brother and nephew, Sonny-Lee Cook, 4, was born prematurely.

The dedicated duo have since helped families who may find themselves in a similar situation with seriously ill children.

Volunteers from Jaywick organisation have now took it upon themselves to mow and cut the grass on the Brooklands Gardens.

The large space had reportedly overgrown and residents have claimed it had been neglected by Tendring Council workers.

Determined to give their young residents an open space on which to have fun, a group of hard workers spent more than three hours cutting away the green growth.

Sarah Moule, who is a trustee for Sonny’s Army, was also involved in the mass garden overhaul.

She said: “It was looking horrible, the council had not cut the grass and the children could not play on the field - nobody has bothered with the Brooklands Gardens.

“Now the children can have fun on there and it feels amazing and it is also amazing watching the two young girls come up with way to help the community.”

Tendring councillor Michael Talbot, responsible for environment and public spaces, said the authority is committed to making all its open spaces look as good as they can.

“Tendring Council takes pride in its appearance and we want all areas to reflect our high standards," he said.

"It is wonderful to see young people of Jaywick Sands showing amazing community spirit and take action to keep where they live looking great for everyone.

"It is important to raise that Tendring Council would not abandon an open space, due to the large amounts of rain and intermittent sunshine experienced since grass cuttings started in March we have all seen an exponential rate of growth across the district to which our open space rangers are working hard to keep up with. ”

To find out more about Sonny’s Army visit sonnysarmy.com.