Great news! Bayer Street Allotments have received £250 of Big Local Community Spirit funding. The funds provided by East Coseley Big Local will be used to purchase flowers, bulbs and shrubs to plant in the northbound embankment and window boxes of Coseley Station.
On a sunny afternoon a few weeks ago, I visited Bayer Street Allotments, a beautiful remote haven tucked away between the Coseley canal and railway station. On my arrival I was greeted by gardening project masterminds, Tom Blackham and Kerry Williamson, members of the Bayer Street Allotment Association, who were only too happy to tell me the story behind their pretty marvellous growing project…
The story began when East Coseley Big Local and a group of green-fingered volunteers from the allotments decided to get their heads together to talk about improving public and green spaces in Coseley.
After the success of their ‘Flush and Grow’ project, the installation of an eco-toilet and development of an outdoor communal area, conversations started around how they could take their growing skills out of their usual base at the allotments and on to the streets of Coseley.
With the support of East Coseley Big Local, it wasn’t long before they were talking with London Midland about how they could improve the Northbound embankment at Coseley station.
The £250 of Community Spirit funding has been partly used to source flowers and shrubs from local shop, Bramford Hardware, including Marigolds, Broom and Flox which have been planted on the embankment and also in specially made fixed window boxes at the station.
Of course, the work isn’t all about planting, the embankment also requires regular maintenance every 3 weeks to get rid of any unsightly weeds! This meant that they would need regular access to the station.
The allotments association have now joined a new scheme set up by London Midland. The ‘adopt a station’ scheme will allow the volunteers to have better access to the station and improve ties with the railway authorities.
Tom and Kerry told me, “We have built a great trusting relationship with London Midland because we pay attention to the station’s safety rules, and we always tidy up after ourselves.”
It was really lovely to see a new plaque on the northbound platform erected by London Midland to recognise the voluntary work carried out in recent years to maintain the flower bed.
“We look at our station and feel a real sense of pride and achievement.”
Volunteers from Bayer Street Allotments can rest assured that the beautiful array of colourful flowers and shrubs planted at the station have not gone unnoticed and brought many a smile to local people and commuters on their way to work.
And it doesn’t stop there, recently, members of the Big Local Core Group were invited over to Longbridge station to advise others about embarking on a new growing project!
As I left the allotments, I asked Tom if he could give any words of wisdom for others who may be interested in doing a growing project, he responded quite simply
“Get fit, get healthy and get gardening!”
I think that’s a pretty good motto to remember.
Ingredients:
Big Local support, London Midland representative, local hardware shop, flowers, shrubs, trowel, volunteers (with a spoonful of passion, enthusiasm!) and of course, the very fashionable, high-vis jackets!
Would you like to share your passions, skills and spaces? Are you interested in starting a project to improve public and green spaces?
Contact Neil@eastcoseleybiglocal.net for more information.