Tag: #nec

‘Moonlight Garden’ wins ‘Best Indoor Feature’ Award at Gardeners’ World Live.

P1110714_PRESS RELEASE

I’ve just found out that our recent collaboration with the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT), at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live, has resulted in the prestigious ‘Best Indoor Feature’ Award. Congratulations to our friends, at BCT!

The show organisers have made the announcement across social media, featuring the stand and our garden’s display, with ‘Leasowes Walled Garden’ clearly visible; a great bit of national exposure for BCT and our restoration project.

GWL_Award Screen grab

I’m very proud of all of the volunteers who have inspired such recognition and who work tirelessly to improve our community, both inside and outside of the walled garden, for Halesowen Abbey Trust. We have many people to thank for this, not least Joe and Andreia, for offering us space on their stand.

Andreia’s straw bale sofa was a masterstroke, and the kind donations of flowers, from stands exhibiting nearby, as well as those provided by ourselves and our sponsors, Brookfield Nurseries, went down a storm. With Joe’s expert guidance we can do more to encourage and promote bats.

GWL Award_Twitter

This just goes to show that if you do what you love, with passion, and surround yourself with good people, who care, you can make a huge difference to your community and positively contribute to the wonderful Wild About Gardens conservation effort. Go, team LWG and BCT!

Darren

Walled garden to exhibit at Gardeners’ World Live

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The Leasowes Walled Garden is joining forces with the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live, taking place at the NEC Birmingham, between 15-18 June. The collaboration came about after the walled garden entered and won the group category of last year’s Wild About Gardens Week ‘Plant a bat feast’ photo competition, organised by The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), The Wildlife Trusts and Bat Conservation Trust (BCT).

Since winning the competition with its ‘Biodiversity and Bats’ area, created by volunteers, the walled garden has continued to build on its conservation efforts, incorporating a wildlife pond into what will become a beautifully spacious and well-thought-out wildflower meadow. Volunteers and visitors alike are free to take in the peace and quiet of the walled garden and heritage orchard, during designated hours, benefitting from this unique and restorative setting.

Visitors to the show are invited to come along and meet one of several volunteers who will be on hand to talk about the restoration project and this year’s Wild About Gardens ‘Bee Creative’ campaign, or you can pick up tips from a resident bat expert who will be giving talks throughout the duration of the show on stand G425. The walled garden’s display will also feature flowers by husband-and-wife team, Paul and Jo Hill of Brookfield Nurseries, Belbroughton, renowned for their award-winning hanging baskets – key to the success of Halesowen In Bloom’s coveted gold award.

The 18th-century walled garden was created in 1776 by Edward Horne, who took ownership of The Leasowes following the poet and landscape designer William Shenstone. It was purchased in perpetuity for the public, by Halesowen Abbey Trust, in November 2014, and is managed with nature in mind. The site comprises 2 acres of community gardens, maintained by volunteers and funded by welcome charitable donations. Mick Freer, project leader, said: “We are delighted that the Bat Conservation Trust has asked us to participate on their stand and have this opportunity to raise the profile of our conservation work and its continued reliance on funding.”

To make a donation, please visit www.leasoweswalledgarden.co.uk or make cheques payable to Halesowen Abbey Trust and send to 59 The Hawnelands, Halesowen, B63 3RT.