New community garden for unloved patch of land

A charity has officially opened its first community garden in Stoke-on-Trent, with those behind the project hoping it will bring people closer to nature.

Melissa Underwood, head of nature recovery for Groundwork West Midlands, said people had told her they wanted somewhere to grow vegetables during the planning stages of the Potters' Patch on Bucknall New Road in Hanley.

"Some people don't have a garden, or have that opportunity, so that's what we've put in initially," she said.

"We're looking forward to the community coming to join us to create a lovely biodiverse space everybody can enjoy."

Youngsters at St Luke's Church of England Academy have been involved in the community garden, which was previously a derelict plot of land opposite their school.

Underwood said pupils had been especially excited about growing raspberries and introducing more plants to attract butterflies.

"It's great to see our young people invested in their community space, owning it and looking forward to contributing to their community.

"They were here when the diggers started on the ground, so they've been watching our progress all the way through, and they always give us a wave and a cheer on the way past."

Groundwork has been working on numerous similar schemes across the West Midlands to transform pockets of unused land.

"As we move forward with the project, we'll listen to the community and what their needs and wants are for this space," Underwood explained.

"We know that people want somewhere quiet where they can sit and reflect alongside the veg growing."

Many hours were spent in hot temperatures last week getting the garden ready for its opening day on Friday.

"It's been absolutely gruelling out here," Underwood said, "but we [were] determined to be ready for opening day.

"We had quite significant rain a couple of weeks ago as well, so the weather's certainly been a challenge."

The scheme has been supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which owns the land the garden is on.

It is now down to the community to make the space their own and decide how it is used.

"I come from Stoke-on-Trent, so [it's] incredibly special to me to be able to do this in my own community," Underwood added.

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