Lemington Community Association unveiled their new and improved community garden in July, and Facilitator Phil Macari told us how the launch event went.

Last month saw the launch of Lemington Community Associations’ ‘Community Garden Project’. Lemington is a proud, independent village, now part of the greater Newcastle area with a great industrial heritage, and an active and positive community association too. The garden is also close to the Coast to Coast Cycle Route and Hadrian’s Wall tourist routes: already the number of outside visitors to the area has increased.

After years of planning and fundraising locals have now turned this underused, bland and steep site into a place where people of all ages can sit quietly, play, meet and enjoy the garden, with its food, sensory, landscaped, wildlife and ‘Memorial’ areas. Up to 11 groups have already committed to adopting parts of the garden to help maintain it, and the sustainability grant is focused on giving more skills and opportunities to local people.

 John Shipley, ex-leader of the council, opened the site, and reiterated the achievements of this special part of Newcastle. There was a symbolic planting of a rose in the sensory garden by Liz and John, two of the main driving forces in the community association, families enjoyed sculpture workshops, and even a mobile healthy ‘wii’ station was on hand on another sunny day in Lemington!

Sounds like a fantastic project which will have lasting benefits for local people.