“We want this to be a place for everyone to enjoy”- Langworthy community garden project breaks ground

Horsham St community garden has finally broken ground after months of waiting to secure funds for the project.

A group of neighbours from Langworthy have successfully secured funding to turn the land next to Salford Dental Practice into a community garden.

On Sunday the group welcomed locals to join them as they began work on the small piece of land.

The event gave community members the opportunity to meet neighbours, plant trees, and make Christmas wreaths.

Committee chair, Helen Stoker, said: “We decided to create a garden as a place for people to come together and also to improve a wasted green space.

“The grass had been there for a long time but was almost never used. We want this to be a place for everyone to enjoy, especially as most people in the area don’t have back gardens.”

The group believes that Langworthy is in need of some more green spaces, and hopes this will be the push the area needs to create more.

Helen continued: “I think it’s very important to create more green spaces, especially as the area has a lot of housing infill going on at the moment and lots of older trees have been taken away.”

The project has been on hold for a while as they waited to be granted funding from the RHS and funding for future planters from Ambition for Aging, that Inspiring Communities Together secured for them.

As they waited for the day they would be able to start work on the garden, the group members spent time curating ideas for what should be grown, most recently by heading to RHS Bridgewater and taking a look around.

And although work has already started, the group are keen to add more people to their ranks.

They said: “We have a core group of 5 volunteers and are hoping to have more as we hold future events.”

On Sunday they began planting and are excited to continue improving the area.

“We’ve just planted some apple trees, Japanese anemones, dogwood and Spring bulbs.”

On their future plans for the garden, she said: “Our next phase involves ornamental grasses and herbs. The long term goal is for it to be a place with established plants that anyone can enjoy and a place to bring neighbours together.”

You can find out more about volunteering at the community garden here.