Completion of Cecil Street community garden

Cecil Street Community Garden

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Rochdale Environmental Action Group (REAG) has completed the Cecil Street community garden.

The group had been working for several weeks on an overgrown plot of land in Deeplish, removing weeds and cultivating the soil before planting a variety of flowers and shrubs, with the intention of turning it into a garden for local residents and the wider community to enjoy.

Christine Mathewson, chairwoman of REAG, said; “We’d been looking to work on this piece of land for a while as it had become a bit of an eyesore, and it was through the grant that we received from the Greggs Foundation that we were able to buy the tools that we needed for the job, as well as purchasing the plants.

“We engaged with the residents every week as we worked on the plot to let them know what we were trying to achieve, and the reactions were very positive - they all commented on how lovely the different colours looked and how it would brighten up the area.

“We emphasised that it was a community garden, and that it would be up to the community to look after it through weeding and watering regularly otherwise it would become overgrown again.

“Some of the children who live nearby are very keen to get involved, so hopefully they’ll bring their parents along too.

“We’d also like to thank Ian Trickett and his team from Environmental Management for providing the wooden posts around it, and for advice on which flowers and shrubs would be the best ones to plant here.”

REAG is a group of volunteers who meet every Saturday, acting on litter and other environmental issues.