Silloth Green’s Community Garden is open!

Silloth Green’s Community Garden is open!

The sun shone brightly for the official opening of  Silloth’s new Community Garden on the morning of Sunday 25th May.

aerial of silloth garden

The Community Garden was funded by Heritage Lottery and designed by the local community at various workshops.

Design Workshops

 

Tony Markley, Mayor of Silloth and Owen Martin, Chair of Friends of the Green made speeches thanking all those involved in developing and planting the garden.

Gardening Volunteers

 

Neil Simpson, from Moota Garden Centre, who designed the garden after input from members of the community, presented Friends of the Green with care plans for all the plants and shrubs in the garden. The ribbon, held on each end by local stalwarts Barry Hope and Tom Wood, was then cut by Ann Winter, who has been involved in the community garden’s development from the beginning. Ann then pronounced the garden officially opened.

The Solway Woodcarvers  congregated around their beautiful ‘Story Telling Chair,’ which has pride of place in the garden opposite the Golf Hotel. Clive Firth sat on the chair, surrounded by his fellow woodcarvers: Michael Faulkner, Stephen Frost, Alison Robertshaw, Cherry Asbury, Alan Craig, Wisdom, Peter Johnstone, Shona & Andrew Pape and Jim Mason.

 

Over many months, all of these lovely people have been busily carving the magical chair for the enjoyment of the children of Silloth and those who visit. The chair carvings represent different parts of Silloth’s rich history. Neptune has been carved to form the back of the chair illustrating the town’s proximity to the sea.  Among other carvings, there are donkeys, which were on the Green from the 1930s and still fondly remembered; a pierrot, which symbolises the Charles Beanland ‘Silloth Follies’ troop who provided entertainment during the 1920s on a part of the Green known as ‘Happy Valley’. In addition, there are kites and a vintage vehicle to illustrate some of the events organised by local people on the Green. Other images will be carved into the chair while it’s in situ, to illustrate other events and representations that have meaning for the town.

Following story telling tradition, Tim Barker donned his story telling garb to tell stories to the youngsters gathered at his feet.

 

Tim reading to kids 3 best Tim reading stories to kids2 Tim reading stories to kids1 Tim reading stories kids4