Waste ground to be transformed for residents

A piece of waste land on an estate in Stafford has been earmarked as a community garden for residents in the area.

The run down strip of ground near to a community centre in the town’s Highfield area has been left overgrown but will be transformed as part of a Prince’s Trust project.

Plans drawn up for the garden include growing food, bird table and bat boxes as well as a recycling area. Touch and feel posts will be installed and reclaimed slabs and sleepers are expected to be laid in the forty foot long patch.

Clearance and construction work by the borough council on the site gets underway soon before young people from the local Prince’s Trust XL club set about transforming the area. The club helps those who are not in education, employment or training get experience and skills, and six young people will be undertaking the work.

Other initiatives will see a competition for local school children to pick a name for the new garden. The £3,000 for the project has come from the ‘Transition Innovation Support Fund’ - a government pot designed to help community projects - which the council was able to access following its successful Beacon Award for partnership working.’

A host of organisations are involved in the project with the garden being officially opened late July.

Dave Myers who organises the XL programme said it was a very exciting project and he had already received some great feedback from local residents.

“This will be a beautiful haven for all the community to enjoy. Our young people are already looking forward to getting to work on this and producing something they - and the residents - can be proud of.

Councillor Frank Finlay, cabinet member for environment and health at the council, said: “It is a great example of partnership working. The support from so many organisations has helped get this project off the ground and will give something wonderful back to the community.”

Press Release No 4429