Bob became a member of the Gatis family back in 2015 and he’s been working hard for us ever since.
Having been employed all his life he found himself unemployed and on benefits. He had volunteered for other community gardens in Wolverhampton prior to Gatis and we soon learned that he has a burning need to ‘get the job done… any job… every job… ALL THE JOBS! ‘Bob’s’ are rare, ‘Bob’s’ are invaluable, if you find a ‘Bob’ make the most of him and don’t let him go.
At first Bob seemed shy and moody, but as we got to know him we realized that Bob was no shyer than anyone else, he just doesn’t suffer fools gladly and has that old-fashioned work ethic that is quickly becoming a thing of the past. As for his moods well, let’s just say that you can track them by how well his *football team* is doing.
Bob quickly formed a close companionship with another of our volunteers, Melvin. This unlikely duo has been a source of entertainment and with their constant banter and bickering they often appear like a married couple.
What is a typical day for Bob?
A typical day for Bob starts with a Coffee and a fuss of Ziggy, the community dog. Then it’s down to open up the Pod so everyone can get their tools for the day. To say Bob is meticulous when he rakes the sand is an understatement. When Bob rakes the sand, no one wants to walk on it, it is a thing of pure beauty, it’s some kind of ancient, Japanese, meditation, sand! After creating absolute perfection in the sand pits, he moves on to watering plants, sweeping leaves, building planters, litter picking or any of the billions of different tasks he’s taken on, not to mention mentoring some of the newer volunteers. The only way to stop him working is to call him in for Dinner. Bob will inhale anything Steve whips up for the volunteers, to be fair, Bob makes short work of any food put anywhere near his line of sight.
After eating us out of house and home he’s back outside and on with the day’s work. And of course, he ends each day with an extended fuss of the dog, who he seems to get along with better than any human.


