New County Durham gardens open in hopes of being an 'asset' for region

Building Self Belief has opened up Benfieldside Community Gardens with plans to refurbish the area (Image: Darcie Rawlings)

A community garden has officially opened in Consett, County Durham.

Local charity Building Self Belief has opened up Benfieldside Community Gardens with plans to refurbish the area into a sustainable and welcoming environment for the community.

The Northern Echo: Building Self Belief has opened up Benfieldside Community Gardens with plans to refurbish the area

North West Durham MP Richard Holden visited the opening of the Gardens today, (Friday, January 19) in support of the endeavour. He took a small tour of the area and discussed the plans with Building Self Belief CEO Christine Thomas.

The Northern Echo: MP Richard Holden discussed plans for Benfieldside Community Gardens with Christine Thomas

He said: “It’s great to see the enthusiasm here, this is a real community-based charity, and they are bringing positive stuff to the local area. It’s these smaller projects that really matter to people because it’s where they live.”

“It’s fantastic to see something like this right in the heart of Consett, Benfieldside is an area that often gets overlooked, but you can already see the potential of the space as it starts to be cleared.”

The Northern Echo: The area in Benfieldside, Consett has been left to ruin after being unused for many years and

As part of the plans to refurbish the garden Building Self Belief hope to plant fruit trees, create a seating area, make the space more accessible for wheelchairs, and add a sheltered area for rainy-day activities.

Building Self Belief have thanked Derwent Valley Area Action Partnership who have funded the project through councillor’s Kevin Early and Steven Robinson.

Christine Thomas said: “We need to ensure the space is safe, at the moment the area isn’t suitable for disabled people and we hope to change that by widening the paths and making the space as inclusive as possible and accessible for everyone, so everyone can enjoy it.”

“Thinking about long-term plans we hope to be able to host some community events here, this should be a really great asset for the area.”

The Northern Echo: MP Richard Holden took a small tour of the area and discussed the community garden with Building

The charity also plans to use the space for forest schools and to provide children who are disaffected with school a place to complete projects and socialise.

Some volunteers have already began undertaking some work clearing the area and Building Self Belief are also working with professionals to create plans for the space.

The charity has also joined horticulture and gardening network groups and spoken to local allotment owners to gain advice on gardening and managing the community space.

The Northern Echo: Volunteers have already started to clear the space in hopes to make the garden an ‘asset’ to

Once plans for the area have been sent to Durham County Council, Building Self Belief plan to organise a meeting with the community to discuss even more possibilities for the area.

Members of the community are also welcome to attend the Benfieldside Community Garden afternoon which will take place Monday, February 19.

The afternoon will allow local children and young people to have a say on the plans for the garden while also giving them the opportunity to come and help with the garden refurbishment.

For more information visit the website here. To attend the Benfieldside Community Garden afternoon fill in the form here.