A Potted History...

Growing in our community since 2010

Until 2009 the site that became Eden Gardens was a children’s playground in the middle of a council estate. The playground had fallen into disrepair. Bury MBC, the local authority, ceded the housing estate to Contour Homes, a housing association. The play equipment was removed, and local residents were canvassed with various options one of which was an allotment, which was selected by the majority. For two years the site made little progress with only three or four plot holders working the site.

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In 2012 more people took up the challenge and work started in earnest. An AGM was held and a committee was formed which identified a number of aims and aspirations, first among which was to develop the whole site. It is a small piece of land capable of holding approximately 17 oddly shaped plots and a number of raised beds. We knew that plot rental alone would not be enough to sustain the site so it was decided to hold an Open Day which attracted 400 people, providing much needed funds some of which was donated to a local worthy cause. With a grant from the land owners and some financial support from the local councillors a communal cabin was acquired, boundary fences and gates erected and a lease established. Finally, after much thought the name Eden Gardens was chosen.

Our next target was to make the site as fully accessible as possible for our many visitors. It took four years, a grant from the national lottery fund and numerous other small grants, but at the end full access was achieved for everyone including people with moderate to severe mobility problems.

The allotments became established and he site looked cared for and with an abundance of vegetables and flowers. A beehive was established on a piece of land designated as a meadow and in 2016 we applied to enter the RHS Neighbourhood in Bloom competition and, to our amazement were awarded an “Outstanding” certificate. We were told that to win this award in our first year was almost unheard of. In 2018 we received our third “Outstanding” award and have continued to do so each successive year, although during the pandemic assessment were done remotely. Our annual Open Days continued as did our support for local causes including Bury street Pastors and the local church Summer Children’s Breakfast Club.

We work with local schools and childcare facilities. The nearby Children’s Centre included Eden Gardens in its summer programme. The last visit numbered fifty parents with children of all ages. In 2018 we worked with the local education hub to bring children with challenging behaviour to Eden Gardens. They built bug hotels, planted seeds and bulbs and went away with a better understanding of how fruit and veg’ is produced.

In 2018 we heard that the ex-Mayor of Bury, Councillor Dorothy Gunther had nominated Eden Gardens for the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. Her nomination was also supported by Howard Davies the Area Manager for Contour Homes (now Onward Homes). We were visited by a deputy of Greater Manchester’s Lord Lieutenant for an assessment and in April 2019 were advised by Buckingham Palace that we were to be given the award. This had to be kept a secret until the formal announcement was made on the 2nd June then we could tell the world. We even received two invitations to attend a Buckingham Palace garden party.

So, from a near derelict site in 2010 to a Garden of Eden we have now, we are extremely proud of our achievements.

Unfortunately all our events came to a halt from March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however following Government Guidelines the allotments continued to thrive and became a haven for many of us who would have otherwise been housebound due to age and vulnerability.

The waiting list has continued to grow and this year, 2022, we are able to open up our gates once again and are planning an Open Day in July