A wide variety of community groups use the Eldon Centre in Barnsley as a place to meet. With funding available through City Challenge and other sources, it was decided to make a garden on a disused area of Tarmac at the side of the building. A community environmental designer working for TCV held informal meetings with the fifteen different groups who use the centre. With such a wide range of age and interest groups, it was important to get ideas and views from all the groups to ensure they were involved from the beginning in plans for the design and use of the space.
Plenty of discussion was generated at the meetings, with ideas jotted down on flip charts so everyone could participate. An idea generated from an education group that use the centre was to include geometric shapes within the garden which could be used as a ‘measurement trail’, to help understanding of heights, widths, areas and volume. A popular suggestion was for a built-in barbecue for social events. The site previously had a stream running across it, and had at one time been the site of the Star Paper Works, so a theme of stars and water was suggested for the design.
Taking all these ideas together, the community designer then drew up plans for the garden, which were then circulated for discussion. Local businesses and individuals were approached for help with labour and materials. A local contractor offered to strip away the Tarmac. As planting time approached, some of the group members visited a local garden centre to help choose the plants. As an exciting finale to the project, Look north TV featured the construction of the garden on their Action Time programme which challenged local labourers and businesses to donate skills and materials to construct the garden in three days!
