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The town centre lacked green open areas to socialise and enjoy and the churchyard itself had become severely overgrown and neglected. It had become a hotspot for drink and drug use as well as a fly tipping zone.
Residents and workers in the town had expressed an interest in having a space to unwind while the location is also in a prime position to service tourists and visitors using Dorchester’s museums. The desire for the garden also came from schools and community groups who were in need of an outside learning space to extend their resources.
The project was delivered in partnership with Dorset Wildlife Trust, with much help from the local community. A planting event attracted over twenty people, including members of staff from M&S. This completed the core environmental work that needed to be completed at the site, and the local community now has a vested interest in the new garden because they had a hand in helping to create it. Two benches were built by prisoners at HMP The Verne on Portland and they have been installed with two bird nesting boxes and an owl box. To educate visitors about the wildlife attributes of the area, large information boards have been installed. A camera has also been installed so that recordings can be made and used by Dorset Wildlife Trust and Museum.
John Radcliffe from the Dorchester M&S store was present at the Unveiling Ceremony. The photographs and testimonies of the project were publicised in the staff areas of the local M&S store so that the employees were much more aware of how their company was helping the local environment. There is already a strong band of twenty-five volunteers who keep an eye on the garden. A smaller group contributes to mid-week maintenance sessions, including clearing shrubs and planting wild flower seeds and will look to continue to develop the garden as the site matures in the coming years.
The community has benefited greatly from the opportunities that the new space provides. Workers and residents have a place to relax while in the city centre. Local schools and the County Library have been able to give learning a new dimension by holding events such the Big Summer Read in the churchyard. A partnership has been forged with Dorset County Museum, which has led to several joint workshops being run throughout the year on the site. The space is fast becoming an outdoor focal point for culture in Dorchester, with plans for a local sculptor to exhibit there during Arts Week and the Thomas Hardy Players to use the garden as part of the annual town Arts Festival.
