Waythrough: Melbourne View Supported Housing | Case study

What did they want to achieve?

Melbourne View residents are lucky to have a shared garden which is accessed from the back of their flats. Lizzy Benn, Cumberland Community Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust, visited the flats in October 2023 for a chat with the residents, who were quick to talk about the benefits of living there, which included group cooking sessions and meditation workshops. It was noted, however, that nobody mentioned that they made use of the garden.

At the time, the garden was exposed, with a metal fence on one side overlooking a park and a busy public footpath, and there were comments about the lack of privacy.

There were a small number of planters which were full of weeds, a mown lawn and a couple of mature trees, but nothing bright and colourful. Their biggest barrier was not knowing where to get started or what to plant.

How did they do it? 

Over the spring and summer of 2024, a small and dedicated group of residents learnt about gardening together and started to make changes. They grew sunflowers on a window sill, sowed a flowering seed mix in old flowerbed planters as well as cataloguing all the plants and trees that were already in the garden.

Cumbria Building Supplies donated bricks and cobbles and the group built a mini pond and herb spiral – useful since cooking is something that brings people together there.

What help did our Community Team provide?

Through Nextdoor Nature, trees were planted to grow a hedge next to the exposed fence and plug plants were added into sections of the lawn to boost biodiversity. Staff met with the garden management company and planned to leave parts of the lawn unmown.

What was the outcome?

Ian and Alex, who both live at Melbourne View, were with the project since the initial meeting. As well as helping with all the gardening tasks, Ian used his time at other community groups to build planters for the garden while Alex used his artistic talents to create a sign for the gate to welcome people to the garden. 

They also came to a networking event at the local community centre, to share pictures of the work-in-progress garden and help people plant their seeds in a pot they could take away with them.

The project had a really positive impact on their mental health and changed the way they think about nature. As a result of taking part, they said: 'I was happier at Melbourne View, my life improved', 'It makes me more active in the garden around me', and 'Engaging with nature feels great, brings me into the present'.