As you may know by now, we are currently participating in the CAFOD LiveSimply scheme with a view to achieving a Live Simply Award when we meet all of their criteria.

As a major part of this we have decided to build a garden that will be a beneficial resource and can be enjoyed and utilised by the whole parish throughout the year. One that comprises a quiet place for meditation and reflection, an area for socialising and a wildlife area, all of which encompasses the LiveSimply values.

There has been an enthusiastic team working on and planning the garden over the winter months to get this exciting parish project underway, and as a result there are now plans drawn up for the garden. It is to be positioned in the top left hand corner of the existing church garden. These plans are on display in the entrance area of the church by the doors. All of the Garden Team Members are mentioned on the poster, so please feel free to talk to us about it or contact us at any time and we’ll be only too pleased to answer your questions. We intend to have regular progress updates in Briefly and also on the Website keeping you updated as the project progresses.

Detailed planting plans will be provided at a later date, along with the opportunity for you to sponsor them. There are also a number of benches proposed in the plan, providing views of different aspects of the garden, which again can be sponsored. We will be providing a full shopping wish list of requirements with the chance for you to add a dedication; very much like the Remembrance Garden Roses, which were well received.

We are also currently in negotiation with The Woodland Trust to provide us with the hedging that we need for the garden. If we are successful, and I believe that we should be from conversations that we've had with them, we would receive the plants around November and these would provide the necessary boundaries.

And now the part where you come in. We plan to start work on clearing the garden site on Saturday 20 April from 9.00 in the morning through to 4.00 in the afternoon and we welcome any volunteers that don't mind getting their hands dirty. Of course we don’t expect you to be there all day, so any time that you can give will be most welcomed. This will probably not be the place for young children at this stage but there will be plenty of opportunity for them to be included at some of the planting stages and once the garden has become more established.

If you can please put your name on the list provided on the notice board or contact us to let us know your availability on the Saturday and indeed if you would like to donate any money towards the garden. Or just come along on Saturday 20 April, you’re most welcome. Please bring any of your garden tools with you that you think might be useful, such as spades, forks, wheelbarrows, pruners etc. and also garden sacks if you have any.

Also at later stages in the project we will need people to help with the landscaping and building, so please let us know if you can help in any way.

We hope that you'll all be as enthusiastic as we are with this project and that you fully support us in achieving our goal for the parish both financially and with your time, in what we hope will be a garden that will be enjoyed by all of you for many years to come.

Thank you for listening, and if you have any questions or ideas please do come and talk to me or any of the other Garden Team members.