Bianca Street Community Garden Stakeholder Engagement Case Study

Project information

On the corner of Bianca Street and Stanley Road in Bootle there is a patch of unused land which has unfortunately become somewhat of a grot spot over time. In order to improve the area, Taking Root and Lotus Brook worked with Sefton Council to secure the area as a community garden, but needed support from local partners to help action the project.

Initially, Sovini Group partners, Sovini Waste, donated an 8-yard skip which was used to dispose of garden waste and litter to help get the area ready for planting. Then, thanks to a grant from One Vision Housing's Community Development Fund, Taking Root and Lotus Brook were able to purchase materials needed to help dig out the current overgrowth and plant a new garden in its place.

Each year Taking Root enter the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show, and in 2023 they used plants and flowers from their award winning entry 'Elements' to create the community garden at Bianca Street. The design shows how small gardens can be beautiful and full of life and interest, but also low in maintenance and manageable for people with limited time and resources. Materials for the submission were supplied to Taking Root by Sovini Trade Supplies either at a discount or by donation.

To complete the garden, Sovini Property Services provided wood chippings which were scattered throghout the garden to extend plant life and control flooding.

Outcomes

As a result of partnership working, the garden was completed in August 2023. Volunteers from The Sovini Group, Taking Root and Lotus Brook helped to plant the garden which in total benefitted 1330 local residents, and £2,090,760 was generated in social value according to the HACT social value calculator.

Colette, a spokesperson from Taking Root said:

Thanks to the support of One Vision Housing we are thrilled to have transformed an unused and unloved space into a thriving community garden.