Verwood’s Community Garden comes to life

A community garden in the centre of Verwood comes to life this summer.  The Hub Sensory Garden is a wheelchair accessible sensory and wildlife garden within the Community Hub.  It has been created by Dorset Wildlife Trust and local people, including children from Emmanuel School and adults from Verwood Opportunity Centre. 

Designed by Shelley Morris, the garden is a spiral with sensory compartments, willow sculptures and a wild flower meadow.  Water features, pagodas and trellises complete the structure, with hedgehog and bat boxes made by the Verwood Opportunity Centre.

Noel Bergin, People and Wildlife Officer at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “It is very exciting to see the garden coming to life. This is really a fantastic community effort that is benefiting wildlife and the people of Verwood.  The idea is that the different sections of the garden will be ongoing projects for schools and other community groups to look after.”

Martin Holmes, of Verwood Opportunity Centre, said: “Verwood Centre actively promotes a person-centred culture.  Staff have identified the needs and wishes of service users to be able to access the community and have the chance to do meaningful work.  The sensory garden project helps people with physical and learning disabilities to make use of opportunities in the community and engage with other agencies.  It provides good quality supported opportunities and also helps the community to welcome people with learning disabilities."

The Hub Sensory Garden is part of Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Heritage Lottery funded New Frontiers Project to involve a wider range of people in conservation. It is also being supported by the Department of Health’s Learning Disabilities Development Fund, The Bruce Wake Charitable Trust, the Fitton Trust, EcoCompost and The Veolia Environmental Trust, which awarded a grant through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Margaret Cobbold, Executive Director of The Veolia Environmental Trust, adds: “Supporting the creation of public green-spaces such as this is one of the key priorities of The Veolia Environmental Trust and the Landfill Communities Fund. I look forward to seeing this project take shape.”

Official opening of The Hub Sensory Garden on Tuesday 14 July, at 11.00 -11.30, The Hub, Brock Way, Verwood BH31 6WW.

Attending: The Mayor of Verwood, Trustees of The Hub, funding partners, Dorset Wildlife Trust, designer Shelley Morris and members of the Verwood Opportunity Centre.