Secret Garden at Stoke Library receives a boost
A Stoke library has had a boost after community organisations came together to transform an unused piece of land.
Members of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and North Staffordshire YMCA teamed up with Dovetail Woodworking to create a tranquil seating area at Stoke Library, in Wolfe Street, which is now full of bright flowers and brand new wooden planters.
The work was carried out following the Nature in Town project – which received funding from the Stoke High Street Accelerator (HSA) pilot, funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
(Images by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust)
Senior Librarian, Amy Capewell, said: “The Stoke HSA project has been a huge benefit to Stoke Town and we’re already starting to see all of the individual projects bloom and brighten our immediate area.
“Within Stoke Library, the Nature in Town project, has allowed us to work alongside Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, North Staffordshire YMCA and Dovetail Woodworking to create a wonderful outdoor space with planters and seating in a previously unused and unloved area.
“We hope that this space will serve as a way for people to get closer to nature, to learn more about plants and gardening and to provide another space within the library to sit, relax and connect with others.”
Harriet Cooke, Youth Engagement Officer at YMCA North Staffs, said: “This was an amazing opportunity for our young people and they learnt really valuable new skills as well as gaining a newfound confidence in their abilities working alongside Steve at Dovetail Woodworking.
“It was really rewarding for them to see what they were able to achieve by building and setting up planters for the secret garden at Stoke Library, and to also give something back to their community.”
A Summer Reading challenge was also recently launched at Stoke Library – which encourages children to explore books and dive into reading throughout the summer holidays. This year the challenge is titled Story Garden, and encourages children to read alongside exploring nature.
Amy added: “So many people have already commented on how lovely the space looks and how they look forward to using it. Some families have even helped us to add some plants to the lovely planters.
“We also have our summer reading challenge titled Story Garden which could not be more apt. This year’s challenge encourages children to read alongside exploring nature – which is brilliant and fits perfectly with our new garden space.”
