Lanarkshire villagers are set to benefit from a new sensory garden after being awarded £12,500 from a wind farm grant.
The Hope Hub in Kirkmuirhill will open the facility following the funds being awarded by Banks Renewables’ Kype Muir Wind Farm community fund.
It will open in late spring after winning the grant from the Hamilton -based employer in April last year.
The money paid for a large polytunnel, raised beds, tools and equipment and plant saplings as well as enabling the group to install benches and pathways for the community to use and enjoy.
Volunteers at the Hope Hub had been working hard each weekend to create the much-needed communal garden at the facility, which benefits Kirkmuirhill, Blackwood and surrounding Clydesdale villages.
Willie Moyes, a volunteer with the Hub, believes a great number of people in the surrounding area will benefit from the project.
He said: “We’re delighted to be able to finally open this new community space, which we’re hoping will benefit a huge range of people from all walks of life.
“Our dedicated group of volunteers have been brilliant, keeping the project on track despite some bad weather conditions over the winter and various lockdowns.
“The raised beds and level pathways will make for easy access for those with mobility issues and there will be plenty to feel and smell for those that struggle with sight.
“It is a tranquil area to go and relax, and, so far it has been appealing to groups of all ages, from pre-school to the elderly.
“There has already been a gardening club formed with about 20-40 members who have started the planting in the polytunnels and even made plans for an orchard area to be created later this year.”
The Hope Hub was founded in 2014 when the Hope Church (Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill) was established – with around 130 members meeting weekly, temporarily at the community wing of Blackwood Primary School.
In 2016, the group acquired its current premises, the former Blackwood Care Home. Its dedicated volunteers have transformed the building and grounds into a multi-use community hub facility.
The charity exists to advance citizenship, support community wellbeing and the relief of poverty – and to encourage all statutory, third sector, community groups and members of the rural communities to use the new facility.
Robin Winstanley, sustainability and external affairs manager with Banks Renewables said: “This new garden represents a vital step forward in the Hope Hub’s aims to create a thriving community facility and we are delighted to have given it a helping hand to reach this milestone.
“The new space is amazing and a total testament to Willie and the rest of the team’s hard work over the last 10 months or so."
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