Royal honours to be bestowed on Arboretum volunteer team
THE Friends of Derby Arboretum will be formally presented with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service this weekend.
At around 11.30am on Saturday, His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for Derbyshire, Liz Fothergill, will be presenting a certificate and crystal award to members of the Friends group who have played an active role in the development of Loudon Lodge and the community garden.
The citation on the certificate reads: “Transforming a derelict building; providing an activity hub and garden; delivering community events.”
The community hub, known as Loudon Lodge, is situated within the heritage area of the Derby Arboretum, the first park in the UK to be opened for public use.
Originally an end-of-terrace house on Morleston Street, it was retained as the Joseph Strutt Bowls Club when the rest of the terrace was demolished.
The bowling club stopped using the building, now owned by the City Council, in around 2010 and it remained boarded up and abandoned until the Friends group pitched to lease the building and refurbish it.
With the help of volunteers from The Rotary Club of Derby and funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s NICE fund, The National Lottery and Garfield Weston the building now boasts modern facilities as a warm and inviting community hub.
The bowls green has been transformed into a community garden thanks to volunteers working with the Friends group.
With its semi-formal layout the garden offers all-year-round displays supplemented by espalier fruit trees and bushes and raised beds with produce.
The Friends of Derby Arboretum is organising its annual May Fest to coincide with the KAVS presentation. It will follow on from the morning’s formalities from 1pm until 4pm.
A spokesperson said: “This free event welcomes everyone to come along and enjoy a quintessentially British celebration of spring.
“This year it will take place on the community garden with maypole dancing, music, juggler, face painting, spiral arts activities, games, refreshments, plants, human fruit machine, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Derby Parks and a recycling stall.
The Friends of Derby Arboretum comprises local residents and other organisations keen to encourage greater and safer use of this “wonderful asset” near the centre of the city.
The Arboretum, the first of its kind in England, is endowed with a variety of beautiful trees and a splendid layout of paths and ornaments.
The Friends group aims to improve its amenity and generate greater use of this valuable space.
Thanks to Spiral Arts, the Rotary Club of Derby and the Parks Department, many local residents have signed up to the group which now organise three regular events: the Mayfest, Lark in the Park in late Summer and Luminate, a lantern festival in November.