The Garden Project
As a charity, Bedford House is always fundraising to improve our community space. Our current focus is on organically developing our garden into a vibrant, accessible, and engaging space for all.
We are working step by step to create a multi-sensory garden, filled with wildflowers and an outdoor learning area, providing a peaceful environment for creativity, education, and well-being.
This in-house development allows us to grow our garden sustainably and meaningfully, ensuring it meets the needs of our community. Stay tuned for updates as we bring this vision to life! 🌿✨
Want to help us grow our garden even further? Join the gardening volunteers! You can also make a donation contributing towards plants and other items required for the garden. Donate using the button in the header!
Our Garden Journey so far…
2025
January
The Garden is slowly waking up after the winter.
Chris, Gardener, planted the donated fir trees and evergreens in the Forest zone.
And prepared a trail for a wilderness path.
Chris, Gardener, built decorative ‘dead hedges’ which are good for wildlife and for creating points of interest throughout the garden.
Chris, Rachel and the volunteer gardeners discussed the plants we would like within our budget.
February
Our crocus lawn looked fabulous. Spring was on its way.
2024
Our weekly gardener, Bruce, tamed the garden, controlled the bramble shoots, and the grass settled into the bare patches.
Our fortnightly gardening tutor, Rachel, inspired the gardening volunteers, and they worked on some interesting projects, in addition to the general maintenance of the flower beds:
· A long flowerbed was created on the slope on the lawn.
· The beginnings of various zones were established such as the Vegetable zone, the Wildflower zone, the Forest zone.
· A U-shaped flowerbed was created between the Hall and the House garden doors.
· Tree works in the neighbouring garden provided us with some interesting tree trunks.
· Flowering pots were installed in the garden together with an arbour seat.
2023
We finally had the rear garden re-set. A team of contractors with machinery spent 2-3 weeks clearing the garden, removing 2 truckloads of fly-tipped items and concrete, and several truckloads of brambles, ivy and general garden rubbish. The lawn doubled in size, we could see the fences and the garden could breathe again. See the process here.
2022
February
The Garden Development Project was agreed in principle by the Board of Trustees.
April
The first £1,800 were raised which enabled us to commission the concept garden design from Groundwork.org.uk. Groundwork.org has been developing green spaces nationally for many years and are experienced in garden projects.
June
£2,000 was raised to landscape and re-plant the front garden. See the process here
August
The Board approved the requirement to obtain agreement and authorisations from various authorities to pursue the formal design for the rear garden.
September
Fundraising took place for the garden re-set; the prep work required to enable further work. This would entail bramble removal, removing dangerous tree overhang, dead branches, shaving ivy off fences, replacing missing and damaged fence panels. This would also create a lawn approximately double the size of the current lawn. £8000 is required.
July
The concept garden design for the rear garden was launched at the Summer Show.