Transformed: The grimy old coal yard that became a magical secret garden
THE gift of a patch of swampland choked with brambles and the dreaded Japanese knotweed may not appeal to many.
But when keen gardener Sally Berry was handed control of the rubbish-strewn former coal yard that lay beyond her neat back garden she knew exactly what to do.
She got out her scythe, rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
Seven years after Mrs Berry’s son William bought it for her in 2010, the coal yard has been transformed into what Sally calls the Secret Valley.
It is a tranquil oasis with swans, kingfishers, geese and ducks nesting on a lake, plus waterfalls, statues, an orchard, a rose garden and a vast array of wildflowers and plants along streams and secret pathways.
Mrs Berry, 78, from Salford, Greater Manchester, has used her skills to raise more than £10,000 for cancer charities by inviting people to tour the site. And now the garden is accessible to the public over the next two Sundays under the National Garden Scheme, where private gardens are opened for charity. Mrs Berry said everyone who sees her slice of paradise behind her unassuming house is surprised: “The people who come to see it are lovely. They are really interested in the story. Nobody thought it would work but it has.
“People wander around and are amazed. They say they never knew it was here.
“It was a challenge but I have actually enjoyed it all. It kind of invented itself as it went along.”
Mrs Berry, a mother-of-three and grandmother-of-six, is originally from London. She was evacuated to Cornwall during the Second World War and the countryside sparked her passion for the outdoors.
The garden is open on Sundays up to August 13.
For full details visit thesecretvalley.com