Ken Orr from Newtownbreda Presbyterian Church sent us this report:
Nestled behind suburban streets in Rosetta, South Belfast, and invisible from the road, most people wouldn’t realise that there is a substantial triangle of land attached to the back of Knockbreda Methodist church. More than 1200m2, it used to be used as allotments, but had become almost derelict in the last ten years. Now the church has an exciting new project to completely re-imagine the area, which is to become a garden, and gardening area, to be used by the whole local community.
A committee was set up in January 2020, and moved quickly to survey the site and begin planning. We engaged a landscape architect to draw up a detailed plan giving substance to our ideas, and began the process of gathering funds, mainly by applying to trust funds for grants. Then of course, coronavirus struck, and everything screeched to halt. We’ve been able to progress at times when the restrictions have eased, and enough has been done to keep the momentum going. With substantial help from squads of people undertaking community service with the Probation Service, the whole area has been cleared of debris and the grass and bramble cleared right back. Now we can see how it used to be terraced, and even a water supply system running to many parts.
Plans include a Men’s Shed with outdoor working area, a large paved space with a pizza oven, a wildlife pond, a dozen or more raised beds, and a polytunnel. The top end already has a couple of fruit trees and we have just purchased a dozen more for a community orchard with a soft fruit border and a quiet seating area.
Community involvement is central to the plans, and we will have volunteer groups working at the site as soon as the pandemic allows. Young people from the church organisations will help to plant, while Ormeau Churches Together, the local inter-church umbrella group, will also provide people power. The whole site will undergo a transformation in the next two years, and we can’t wait to see how it turns out!