Garden Party celebrates smooth path to success at George Road Garden, thanks to Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust Date: 14-07-2010 GeorgeRoad Gardenin Oldbury is now much easier to navigate for wheelchair users and buggy pushers, thanks to a generous grant of £7880 from ICET to improve the path surfaces and access to the gardens. The Garden incorporates a sensory area, memorial garden, bible garden, children’s play area and The Well — there really is something here for all residents of Warley. The previous circular path surface was impractical, uneven and proved a real hindrance for many. Now, all the community groups such as the coffee morning 'get — togethers' and the toddler groups and can use the path with ease, making the most of the various gardens. ICET also provided funding to build raise beds for all those keen veggie growers. This has been a great help in improving the health of local residents, with the enthusiastic gardeners of George Road giving regular demonstrations and workshops on how to grow your own produce. Julia Button, the Garden Co-ordinator said: “The new vegetable beds have made a real improvement to the patio outside the new community hall. We are looking forward to selling the produce at our weekly garden stall and hope to encourage many others to join in.”Julia added: “The credit is all down to our keen gardeners and volunteers who work hard to maintain this beautiful and vibrant garden. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the grant from ICET for which we are all very grateful.” To celebrate the completion of the path, King’s Community Church Environmental Group will be hosting a Garden party on Wednesday 28th July and all are welcome to come along. The party starts at 11am with Steve Freer, the local ward councillor, opening the path. Following this, residents from a local care home will be test driving the path in their wheelchairs, although a speeding ban has been imposed so there will be no racing on the day! An afternoon tea will be provided for all, with homemade jam made from strawberries grown on site in the new raised beds. This is sure to prove a popular day with many locals and visitors anticipated on the day. The scheme’s talented gardeners will be on hand to provide ‘handy hints’ on vegetable growing or any other topic of interest, and visitors are free to roam around the garden, making the most of this beautiful site. All are welcome to join in on the day and it is hoped that the smooth new paths will encourage a whole host of new visitors to share the delights that George Road Garden has to offer. Angela Haymonds, Secretary of ICET said: “The new paved path will greatly improve access to the garden for everyone to enjoy. The vegetable growing is a great idea and aims to promote a healthier diet for Warley’s residents. As well as this, it’s an opportunity to mingle, make new friends and learn. ICET is delighted to have funded this project in a place that is truly at the heart of the Warley community.” Angela continued: “This is just one of the many community projects Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust has funded through Landfill Communities Fund (LCF). The scheme offers funding to projects that benefit communities living within 10 miles of a landfill site. Groups interested in submitting projects should visit our website to find out more.”

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