Community garden providing place of welcome amid hidden gem

Goscote Greenacres Community Garden in Walsall holds a weekly open event on Fridays, opening up the 60 small plots of land to people across the community to come and see the different plants and gardens, as well as enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake.

The events are a way of educating the community about nature conservation and get them directly involved in improving their local area.

Garden manager Paul Mason spoke about what made the garden so special and what the weekly events were all about.

He said: "It's a regular event we do and is a coffee morning that tries to bring the local community in to view the gardens in what is a very nice situation.

"We sell home-produced vegetables that we grow on site and we have a big volunteer program for adults with learning disabilities where they all grow the vegetables and the plants which we sell to the local community.

"It's just a nice place to visit for your mental wellbeing and it's like a hidden gem as well as we're a mile out of the town centre and you can't see any buildings from here."

The gardens are also rented out to local residents as well as groups and organisations operating locally, including WHG, Recovery college, and a pupil referral unit.

There is a wheelchair accessible path the runs around the site along with 25 raised beds, while there is a small wildflower area, to encourage pollinating insects, an offsite orchard, a woodland strip adjacent to the Wyrley and Essington canal.

Mr Mason said the events were part of a community-focussed approach by the garden and spoke about what else was going on there.

He said: "It's a good event and we have a lot of regulars who come along to have a cup of tea or coffee and walk around the gardens.

"We also do a big plant sale every May and have a big Halloween event, so I think it's a great place for people to come down and see what we've got and get hold of fresh vegetables and fruit."