We woke up to glorious sunshine in Blackpool yesterday – ideal weather conditions for Dave and me to make a return visit to the Chepstow Community Garden on Grange Park Estate.
Three years ago the garden was a derelict wasteland that attracted anti-social behaviour, drug users and lots of rubbish. During the 2007 Conservative Party Conference, the Social Action team worked with local Conservative candidates Ron Bell and Paul Maynard, and Maureen, the leader of Grange Park Residents’ Association. Maureen is the driving force behind the project to transform the area into a garden where everyone could come together to grow plants, fruit and vegetables.
With the help of Jeff Hewitt, an award winning garden designer, and hundreds of volunteers from the local community and conference, the wasteland was transformed into the most magical garden. There were critics who said it wouldn’t last, that the glass dome would be vandalised and the garden wouldn’t be used, but they have been proved wrong – Chepstow Community Garden has been an all out success.
Maureen is an amazing lady. She has worked tirelessly to involve people of all ages in the development of the garden and it has grown into a secret oasis. It has a memorial area where residents can plant trees to remember loved ones, a fun garden complete with a bird house for the kids, raised beds full of vegetables and lots of fruit trees (including the apple tree I planted in 2007 that has survived against the odds).
I met Robert, Julie and Trevor who all said the garden has changed their lives for the better. They all have disabilities which make getting out the house and meeting people more difficult, but the garden has really helped. For them it is somewhere to go to mix with all ages, enjoy a cup of tea and do some gardening.
Their plans for the future are really exciting. They already sell a lot of their produce and charge local businesses to plant up their hanging baskets, but they want to do more to build their budding social enterprise. The foundations for a kitchen and toilet block are already being dug. Maureen jokes that she might as well move in!
Lots of the Social Action projects I have visited have given me a similar message: involve local people and you will succeed. It seems like common sense, but it is incredible how often it doesn’t happen. The Chepstow Community Garden project involved local people from day one and that’s why it is flourishing and blooming.
( 9 comments ) Tags: Big Society, Blackpool, Chepstow Community Garden, Grange Park Estate, Paul Maynard, Ron Bell
Comment by Rosemary on May 5, 2010 at 3:52 pm
You must be exhausted! Looking forward to seeing you in no. 10. All the best for tommorrow!
Comment by Stan Latimer on May 5, 2010 at 5:08 pm
David I am praying with all the fervour I can muster that the population realise that you are the only person who can lead us from this quagmire that we are sinking into.
Comment by Lucy Cole on May 5, 2010 at 5:16 pm
I live in the Basingstoke & Deane area. Each Year my company supports the Day of Service Scheme, which promotes staff to volunteer for community projects. This year Basingstoke & Deane told us that they would have to charge us £300 per voluntary activity… No matter that my company has given one project 30 man days of its time, they now want to charge us to volunteer!! I hope that if you get in to power, you will be able to put an immediate stop to this charging policy and allow the community to support worthwhile projects.
Comment by Jane on May 5, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Well, I sincerely hope that you are the new occupants of No.10 as it is desperately needed. I wish you all as a family the best of luck. We are so desperate for change and I keep everything crossed it goes in the right direction for your husband and yourself and family.
Comment by Patricia Oliver on May 5, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Glad you enjoyed your visit to my birthplace. I hope that Blackpool S will turn blue.
Good luck for tomorrow !
@babciapat where I try to drum up support .
Comment by Arnie Whittle on May 5, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Dear David, I would just like to wish you well tomorrow on polling day, and I hope that you and your team are elected to power for the next term of office, and we can make some sense of the turmoil that Labour has placed us all in after 13 years of bad government, I shall place my vote for the local Conservative candidate for Bolton, and hope that we are successful on this very important day for the future of this Nation.
Comment by maureen David on May 5, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Hi Sam THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS IT WAS-FANTASTIC THAT YOU AND David TOOK TIME TO VISIT WE ARE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW LEADERSHIP ON Friday GOOD LUCK AND ALL OUR THOUGHTS FOR Friday
Comment by Deborah on May 14, 2010 at 12:59 pm
I’m really interested in the big society but it doesn’t seem to feature in thinking since the election. I’d really like to know what the new government is going to do to put this good idea into real action.
Comment by chappellbuildingservices on July 6, 2010 at 12:11 pm
I appreciate your efforts:-)