Ilkeston Community Garden Project

Collection team at Derby FC Pride Park, 18th March 09

Ilkeston & District Round Table, Derby County F C, Derby’s Broomfield College, Princes Trust have come together to help transform a piece of land into a sensory garden at an Ilkeston Care Home.

Chris Jackson, Immediate Past Chairman of Ilkeston Round Table explains

“The garden makeover is a community project that will make a real difference to residents at Rutland Manor Residential Home, which specialises in dementia patients. Work is now well underway and should be completed by early summer”.

Derby County immediately wanted to get involved with the Round Table project when they heard one of their all time great players Geoff Barrowcliffe is a resident at the home. Geoff who played for Derby County in the 1950’s and 60’s with over 500 caps and 37 goals for the club will be coming down to Pride Park courtesy of Derby County at their next home game.

Geoff Barrowcliffe

Ilkeston Round Table and the Princes Trust are hoping to raise a further £2000 for this £15,000 project through collections today outside the ground which will go to buy a new glass house to take centre stage in the garden,.

“This will help stimulate residents interest, improve the quality of life and maybe trigger memories from their past” says Elaine Mallard Rutland Manor home Manager

Erewash Borough Council’s Cotmanhay Neighbourhood Management Group has donated £1,500 to the makeover, while Ilkeston Round Table members are leading the fundraising drive for the £15,000 garden project and Prince’s Trust volunteers have raised more than £700 through a team challenge.

More than 60 horticultural students at Derby’s Broomfield College are involved in the scheme, from designing the garden to working on transforming the site, which is a quiet and safe area at the rear of the home on Heanor Road.

Sensory Garden Project under construction

Local young people from the Prince’s Trust are working on site alongside students from Broomfield College to transform the site. Mike Baldwin, the college’s Horticultural Learning Director, says the project is a valuable one for the first and second year horticultural students.

“It is a wonderful ‘live’ project and a first class opportunity for our students to put theory into practice. This project is giving our students the chance to get out of the learning environment and learn through a ‘real’ assignment – including working alongside other people and seeing first hand just how importance their work is to the residents here at Rutland.”

Adrian Wakefield Chairman of Ilkeston Round Table, says members were keen to get involved as soon as they heard about Rutland Manor’s hopes of creating a new sensory garden.

“We have been involved in supporting the Rutland Manor team and fundraising for the project right from the start and, once completed, we will still be there to support them in terms of maintenance.”

Local Business support for the project has come from Bradstone Aggregates Supplies, KRM building Supplies Ltd, JF Beale, Ward Recyling, Hirebase, Plan 4 Print, Shipley Turf & Giltbrook Cleaners.

Cotmanhay Neighbourhood Management Group manager Hayley Ash, left, presents the £1,500 donation to Rutland Manor’s garden project. Also pictured with the Prince’s Trust volunteers and Broomhill College students are, Elaine Mallard, Rutland Manor manager, third right, Ilkeston Round Tables’ immediate past chairman Chris Jackson, standing centre, and Mike Baldwin, Broomfield College Horticultural Learning Director, fourth left.