It was a lovely Sunday morning at Lillington Library Community Garden. The weather was a bit cooler than we’ve had lately, which everyone seemed to really appreciate! A wonderful group of people turned up even earlier than usual. This is such a fantastic ongoing project — it’s brilliant to see the community garden taking shape. This was my second visit, and it was great to notice all the positive changes already happening. Today’s main task was clearing a patch of land right alongside the library wall. We removed old branches, then turned over the soil with a mattock. There were plenty of stones and rocks hidden underneath that needed picking out. Doug and I took turns digging so we could rest in between. The stones we cleared were used to build a neat little wall at the end of the patch. We mixed in some new soil, and I believe some plants will go in next week. There was plenty of other activity going on too — with people pruning, watering, and mulching. The kids got stuck in as well, sweeping up and doing a brilliant job. It was awesome to see! I’m already looking forward to going back soon.

Another enjoyable morning at the Lillington Library Community Garden, where the little patch of green continues to flourish.

This week's tasks included giving the garden a much-needed watering to help everything thrive during the warm weather, planting more flowers into the border to add colour and biodiversity, and spreading a generous layer of mulch to help retain moisture, suppress weeds and give the beds a neat finish.

We also rolled up our sleeves for a sympathetic border extension, carefully expanding the bed we created last week to make room for even more planting while keeping it in harmony with the existing layout. With the border extended, there was plenty of space for new plants, and it was incredibly satisfying to see the garden grow a little larger with every spadeful of soil.

Week by week, this new community garden is becoming a vibrant and welcoming space, and it's wonderful to see what can be achieved through a couple of hours of teamwork.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, great to see James & Goodgym newcomer Mlaykah who helped to dig, plant, mulch, water and chat. Every session leaves a lasting mark, and we're excited to see how the garden continues to bloom over the coming weeks.

🌸 Here's to many more Sundays of growing together! 💚

A fantastic turnout from local residents helped make the launch of the new Lillington Library Community Garden a wonderful success.

Working alongside Cubbington & Lillington Environmental Action Now, I spent the morning creating the first beds in what will hopefully become a thriving community space for everyone to enjoy.

The event had a lovely community feel from start to finish. There was plenty of conversation as neighbours got to know one another, a song & a poem to celebrate the launch. Of course, no community event would be complete without refreshments and delicious cake to keep everyone fuelled!

It was brilliant to be involved right from the beginning of this new initiative and to help local residents create something that will continue to grow long after the day itself. We can't wait to see how the garden develops over the coming months.