Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens

In 2001, Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens was created by local Meadows residents coming together to transform part of this disused, unloved, rubbish-strewn playing field into a green space for the local people to use. Local residents now enjoy the benefits of a safe space for family events, place of learning and opportunity to buy freshly grown fruit and vegetables.

By July 2003, with the help of volunteers and partnerships with local training schemes, the Gardens started to transform; native hedging and orchard trees were planted, new members signed up. A triple-skinned polytunnel was erected and the curved walls and raised beds built.

Over the following years the Gardens have further developed into an oasis in the heart of the Meadows, with residents regularly coming to buy vegetables, hundreds of attendees at events and numerous daily visitors.