Belle Isle Circus Community Garden
Now that the better weather is coming and everything is beginning to grow, the community garden at Belle Isle Circus is starting to flourish and the hard work has begun.
The garden is part of the Leeds Encouraging Activity on Prescription (LEAP) project from Leeds City Council which aims to get people doing gentle exercise and helps their mental well-being. The site in Belle Isle is tucked away behind some sheltered housing and is a quiet, tranquil island in the heart of the city.
During the Winter months we built four raised beds and maintained the fruit trees and shrubs which have been planted in the garden. The raised beds have now been filled with soil and planted with onions, potatoes, radish, and spinach. These are starting to sprout and will hopefully grow to be harvested in the next few months.
We have had a small greenhouse donated and this has been repaired and secured to a fence, so that it will not blow away in the windy weather. Several trays have been planted with seeds and placed in here ready to germinate in the warmer weather in the next few weeks.
We have a small number of dedicated volunteers who come to the site once a week to do some gardening and also have a cuppa and a chat. It is a nice, relaxed atmosphere and volunteers can do as little or as much as they want.
One of the volunteers, Gerry, who lives just around the corner from the community garden, was keen to be involved having spent 40 years working in gardens for the NHS. He has worked in many hospital grounds around Leeds and tells stories from the time when he used to work at Roundhay Hall in the early days. He brought in his certificates of appreciation for all the years he has worked for the NHS and proudly showed them to the rest of the group. He is keen to work on the garden helps to maintain it and grow the fruit and vegetables.
We have worked hard during the last few months getting the garden ready for the growing season, but the real hard work starts now with everything shooting up during the months of May and June.
Ian Johnson, Community Coordinator
Mob: 07730 765552