Blooming marvellous! Community rallies round to help gardeners in Littlemoor

A generous donation of plants and pots means a community garden in Littlemoor is blooming again, just days after it was targeted by heartless thieves.

Cordylines in glazed pots, and containers of lobelia and bedding plants were among the items stolen from the garden, which green fingered customers Chris and Anita Lowe have been tending to for the past 16 months.

However, after hearing about the vandalism, local housing association, First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) and Booths Garden Centre have donated plants, pots, soil and planters to get the garden growing again.

Trailing lobelia, petunia, cordyline and azaleas are now flourishing in the garden, which Chris and Anita started from scratch in February 2019 after the external areas in their block were refurbished.

“When the work was completed, two big planters were left for each bay to use and Chris and I started putting plants in ours,” Anita said.

“We started buying pots and plants, then buying more and more and from nothing we ended up with this beautiful looking garden.”

So successful has their handiwork been that last year it was named Best Community Garden in Oldham’s annual gardening competition, called Growing Together.

“One of the competition judges called our garden a little Spanish corner, because of the riot of colourful plants and flowers, and name has stuck,” said Anita.

“Neighbours in the block come down to sit in it daily and use the picnic table during the summer. It’s nice to see the space being used and enjoyed by us all.”

Anita, who has been a Littlemoor resident for four years, was devastated by the theft of her plants and couldn’t believe it when she heard the news FCHO and Booths were stepping in to help.

She added: “When I saw that the plants and pots had been taken I was so sad, because how dare they just think they can just walk through and just take things like this?

"When I was told that new plants and pots were being donated I cried because I didn’t expect it.

"It was wonderful. Thank you very much – it means a lot.”

David Wrigley, FCHO Head of Neighbourhood Care, said: “The Lowes have created something really special in the communal space at their block, and when we and Booths learned that someone had ruined their hard work, we wanted to help.

"Being able to get outside and enjoy nice surrounds is so important for wellbeing, and it’s more important than ever with so many of us at home because of Covid-19.

"We hope that our customers can enjoy their community garden again and we look forward to seeing them enter our gardening competitions again in the future.”

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