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Mayfield Garden Transformed

  • ESH funding helps deliver latest stage of Melville project

Bogwood before and afterOver three tonnes of stone chips, raised beds made from recycled scaffolding planks, ingenious paving slab planters, and a week’s worth of hard labour from a team of dedicated Newbattle High School pupils have helped transform a neglected and unloved Mayfield drying green into a fantastic communal garden.

The two-week project, led by Melville Housing Association and delivered by Newbattle High’s Craft, Design and Technology department, made use of recycled materials wherever possible and also includes a water butt for environmentally-friendly irrigation.

The brainchild of Melville’s Chief Operating Officer Morag MacDonald and Housing Officer Jane Burnett, the design, ideas and lay out of the new garden was the work of Newbattle High Technician Dave Baur, and was delivered with the help of George Miller, Transition Support Youth Worker and nine of the school’s S6 pupils.

“A fantastic amount of work has gone in to transforming this drying green, and I’d like to thank Dave and the pupils for everything they’ve done,” said Morag. “Before work got started this was a pretty unattractive space, overgrown with weeds and little-used. It’s now a garden that all residents will be able to enjoy and make use of for many years to come.”

The drying green transformation is the latest phase in Melville’s plans to transform Bogwood Road ‘one garden at a time’ that has so far included litter picks and a community gardening event.

Bogwood pupilsFunding for the project came from a £1,000 grant from the Esh Communities scheme run by construction company ESH Border Construction. Operating for five years, Esh Communities has provided more than £140,000 to organisations across the UK that serve the same communities as the company. Support was also provided by Melville’s subsidiary company Ironmills Developments Ltd.

Esh Communities is supported by Esh Charitable Trust and is open to groups who operate across Esh Group’s regions with innovative approaches to tackling community issues.

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