News from the gardening world
Beatles’ Strawberry Field facility is to have a training garden
Strawberry Field, the iconic children’s home immortalised in the famous Beatles’ song, is to be transformed into a centre to help young people with learning disabilities. Horticulture will be an important part of the new training facilities, offering opportunities for day-care users to learn new job skills.
The new £8m centre in Liverpool being created by the Salvation Army will sit on the now-derelict site where John Lennon played as a child. The musician is said to have found a place of peace and refuge from his troubled childhood using the woods around the home to play with friends and climb trees. The original building in Woolton was demolished in the early 1970s and replaced with a smaller structure, though gates to the grounds are still a popular
attraction for Beatles’ fans visiting the city. Plans include developing a public-access woodland garden, augmenting many of the existing trees on site, along with the creation of habitats for wildlife.
“It’s no secret that Strawberry Field was special to John Lennon and it feels right to launch our fundraising campaign and website on the 50th anniversary of the UK release of Strawberry Fields Forever,” said Major Drew McCombe, Divisional Leader for The Salvation Army, North West. “We‘re going to inspire people to become involved in the project in any way they can.”
Visit www. strawberryfieldliverpool.com.