Posted 18/01/2022

Beechwood Village Community Garden bulb planting

In the autumn of 2021, Swan’s Customer Involvement and Community Development (CICD) team, along with Axis team members and more than 20 Swan customers from Beechwood Village and the Craylands Estate, began the revival of the Beechwood Village Community Garden. Read about the initial revival of the Beechwood Village Community Garden here.

The CICD team and a group of young people returned to the Beechwood Village Community Garden in December for the second stage of the project - to plant bulbs and spread wild flower seed balls ahead of spring.

Together, they planted a variety of perennial bulbs, including tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. Once bloomed in spring, these will increase biodiversity by providing cover, protection and nutrition for bugs and insects, while also creating a welcoming outdoor space for local residents to enjoy.

The young people, many of whom are part of our ‘Holiday Hunger’ programme held at The Beech Community Hub in collaboration with Essex Boys and Girls Club, also got involved in the spreading of wild flower seeds.

The event was part of the Backyard Nature project which is being run at Beechwood Village to encourage children to get involved in protecting nature within their communities, with the wild flower seed balls being provided by the project. The bulbs planted were purchased from the Beechwood Village Community Trust (BVCT) funding received during summer 2021.

A big thank you goes to all those involved! We look forward to a blooming garden this spring when the CICD team will also provide further updates on the Backyard Nature project.

If you’d like more information on how to get involved in projects like this in the future, please contact Community Development Project Officer, William Oldham, on woldham@swan.org.uk.