Meet Rebecca ~ The wonderful volunteer behind our garden transformation!

We are so lucky to have found Rebecca, the woman who answered a call for help with transforming our once tired outdoor space into the beautiful area that we have today, for our members to enjoy.

Read our interview with Rebecca to find out more about how it all happened and don’t forget to subscribe to The Lawrence Centre Garden Project Facebook page to join us on our green-fingered journey.

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Hi Rebecca, thank you for you time.

First and foremost, what's your connection with The Lawrence Centre and how did you first hear about us and the garden project?

I am a volunteer garden designer and gardener at TLC. I first heard about the garden on the "Lets do it Wells" volunteer website where Maggie had posted a request for someone to rescue the garden at TLC. As I love gardening and was looking to do some voluntary work, it seemed a good fit for me.

So, what was your brief when it came to the garden project?

Initially the brief was to clear all the weeds and tidy the garden but I could see it had potential to be a much better space for those using the centre to use in the warmer months.

I set about taking out the overgrown shrubs and digging out all the ivy. I then dug in a lot of compost and horse manure to enrich the soil. I and then looked into ways of raising funds to replant the whole garden. We were successful in securing a Lions European Environmental grant which really helped to get the planting started. Recently we received the Dobbies "Helping your Community grow" grant after great support from the local community in voting for us.

What challenges have you faced along the way?

The garden was very shady with large shrubs, a holly tree and a large yew tree. We had a tree surgeon take out a holly tree and raise the crown of the yew tree and I dug out the large shrubs. This has improved the light in the garden, though I have had to consider the best plants to grow in the shade.

What's been your proudest moment?

Seeing the members of The Lawrence Centre out using the garden space last summer, something that hadn't happened before.

Which part / element of the garden is your favourite?

I am pleased that I thought about leaf colour and year round interest in the design, so it is nice to see the garden at this time of year still looking attractive with evergreen shrubs with variegated and red leaves.

What's the next stage of the project that you will be working on?

There are two stages still to complete. I plan to paint a floral mural on the large bright blue shipping container to make it look more attractive. I have used part of the Dobbies Community Grant to purchase different colours of paint to do this.

I also plan to apply to the National Lottery Community Fund to try to get funding to purchase some good quality outdoor furniture for the visitors to use. At the moment the staff have to carry the dining chairs out into the garden in the nice weather.

What do you think the garden brings to the members of the Centre?

The garden is now an attractive space for the members to use in the warmer weather. We have all realised the importance of outdoor space for our mental wellbeing in the last couple of years. I hope the members will continue to enjoy the garden as it matures.

Thank you so much for everything you have contributed to us here at The Lawrence Centre Rebecca and we look forward to seeing how the garden continues to mature and grow over the years to come.

The full story on how the garden has changed can be found on our Facebook page.

And if you would like to get involved with the garden project, or anything else happening at The Lawrence Centre, please get in touch to find out more.