Project is growing places

Hillhead Housing Association’s Community Growing Project is open to individuals and groups across the district.

Those benefiting from the project, led by co-ordinator Robert Louth, include Bield Whitehill Court Day Care support service, who have been given allotment space.

The project is open to groups and invididuals in the community and aims to benefit diverse groups such as people living with dementia and young school leavers. The aim is to encourage them to bond through gardening.

The project – which is enclosed in a private space to allow for various groups to work without being disrupted by the general public - plans to develop 11 raised flower beds, a community orchard, a polytunnel and picnic areas.

The plot also has wheelchair accessible flower beds, a greenhouse and gardening huts.

Service users will receive gardening tools and seeds free of charge and are being encouraged to eat the healthy items that they have grown.

So far they have planted carrots and broad beans and built a trestle for sweet peas.

Maureen Hopkins, resource manager at Whitehill Court, said: “We are very grateful to have the opportunity to access the growing spaces as it has enabled us to provide this great project for our service users, as well as others in the local community.

“Gardening has many benefits. As well as being a very therapeutic activity, the project will also provide social stimulation for our service users.”

The Community Growing Project is funded by cash from the Big Lottery.

Co-ordinator Robert Louth said: “We are keen to get the message across to individuals as well as groups that this facility is here for them and they can make use of it.”

To find out more, call Robert at Hillhead Housing Association on either 077315 48033 or 0141 578 0200, or email him at [email protected]

Robert is on site every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the moment from 10am until 5pm.