Pixies lending a hand and trowel

Every village, town and city will have unused areas that are run down and neglected. But wonderful projects up and down the country are coming to the rescue, using community spirit and enthusiasm to turn a dull space into a mini oasis.

First Shepherdswell Brownies, near Dover, did just that. They created a community garden and were shortlisted in last year’s Cultivation Street competition, sponsored by Calliope.

At one of the group’s meetings, the girls chatted about how they wanted to improve their community and this snowballed into asking local organisations if they could volunteer to turn grey spaces into green ones.

Their railway station was delighted to get involved. Putting their craft and gardening skills to good use, the brownies transformed a tired space with interesting features including a small pond and wildlife garden with a bug hotel and butterfly-friendly plants and a compost heap. They used recycled tyres as planters and crafted a wood ring of toadstool stools and displayed their own artwork.

The group’s Snowy Owl, Kate Leech, said: “Everyone loves it. The villagers are so supportive and enthusiastic about the work the girls put in and everyone says it makes you smile when you get off the train. It is a lovely welcome to the village for any traveller.”

The railway garden demonstrates that community gardens don’t have to be huge – and might just win you prizes in the 2019 Cultivation Street competition too. See cultivationstreet. com for more information on entering.