Celebrations as Falkirk town centre's Meanwhile Garden opens thanks to community efforts
A new garden space in Falkirk town centre was officially opened on Friday.
The Meanwhile Garden has been created by the Blooming Bairns volunteers on an area of overgrown wasteland following the demolition of the Callendar Square shopping centre.
They have transformed the ground into a colourful community space making use of the land while it awaits the future Falkirk Town Hall development.
The project has brought together the team of volunteers alongside young people, schools, community groups and partners who have all helped to transform the area.
A special ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Friday morning, with Jacquie Balfour, chair of the Blooming Bairns doing the honours and cutting the Falkirk district tartan ribbon kindly supplied by Stewart Highland.
As well as marking the official opening of the garden, Friday’s event also celebrated a special partnership between Denny and Bonnybridge Community Shed and pupils from St Mungo’s RC High School.
Between them they designed and created handcrafted benches which provide seating within the garden.
The young people worked alongside Shed volunteers, benefiting from intergenerational learning and skills sharing while developing practical and employability skills.
The programme supports the young people to re-engage with learning and contributed towards nationally recognised awards including Saltire and Duke of Edinburgh.
Ankale Denovan, St Mungo’s community learning and development worker, said: “This project has given our young people the opportunity to take their learning out into the community and develop practical skills in a completely different environment.
“Working alongside the volunteers from Denny and Bonnybridge Community Shed has helped build their skills and confidence while allowing them to learn from people with a wealth of practical experience.
“There is a real sense of achievement in seeing the finished benches installed in the heart of Falkirk town centre. They have created something that local people can use and enjoy and that the young people can be proud to say they helped make.”
The Meanwhile Garden has been fully funded by Falkirk Council, with the Blooming Bairns volunteers taking on the substantial task of turning the site into the garden visitors see today.
Since work began in February, volunteers have tackled poor, heavily compacted ground, removed rubble, improved the soil and carried out extensive planting.
In total, 555 plants have been planted, 500 willow rods woven into hedges, and 16 bulk bags of compost and 16 bulk bags of turf underlay moved and spread by hand.
Over the course of the project around 57 volunteers have contributed to the garden, including the Blooming Bairns, Certas Energy, Falkirk High School, the Dollar Park Dementia Group and members of the public who responded to a call for help with planting. The figure doesn’t include the young people and volunteers involved in creating the benches.
Certas Energy carried out the initial weeding of the Callendar Riggs area and have since returned to help with further clearance and weeding, while pupils from Falkirk High have supported planting and weeding.
Sunflowers for the garden began with seeds planted by the Dollar Park Dementia Group, with a volunteer then nurturing the seedlings until they were ready to be planted in the garden.
Friday’s official opening was an important milestone for the project, but for the Blooming Bairns there is still work to be done ensuring the ongoing maintenance of the space.
The Meanwhile Garden’s design was developed by Ryan McMahon, of Musa Landscape Architecture, who volunteers with the Blooming Bairns. The project was inspired by the concept of a ‘meanwhile garden’ – a temporary garden created on land awaiting its longer-term use.
Paths, planting areas and woven willow hedges create the feeling of a maze while keeping the garden open and visible, while a predominantly yellow planting scheme was chosen to create a bright and immediate impact.
Jacquie Balfour, chair of the Blooming Bairns, said: “Blooming Bairns are proud to see the positive impact the garden is having.
"As well as attracting pollinators to the town centre, the wonderful response from the community and the regular footfall the garden receives make all the hard work truly worthwhile.
“Opening the garden is a fantastic milestone for everyone involved, but our work doesn’t stop here. Blooming Bairns will continue to maintain and care for the garden over the coming years so that it remains a space that people can enjoy and that continues to bring colour and biodiversity into the town centre.”
Although the garden is temporary, those behind the project say its legacy will continue.
When the site is required for the Town Hall development, the intention is for the plants to be lifted and reused within other planting schemes around the town centre. The benches will also be relocated and reused.
Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, leader of Falkirk Council, said: “What started as a seed of an idea to transform an unused space into a community garden has grown into a project that shows what community pride and spirit can achieve.
“From Falkirk High School pupils helping to prepare and plant the garden, to young people from St Mungo's working with the Community Shed to learn new skills and craft the benches, local groups and members of the public, it’s been a real collective effort.
"At the heart of it all are Blooming Bairns, whose volunteers have given an incredible amount of time, care and hard work to bring the garden to life.
“Together, they’ve created a welcoming space – somewhere to sit, meet, take a break or simply enjoy the surroundings. It’s something everyone involved can take real pride in and visitors to the town centre can enjoy.
“The council provided funding to help cover the cost of the plants, materials and equipment needed to care for the garden, but the success of this project comes from the people who turned an idea into reality.
"When you walk through the garden and see what they’ve created, it’s hard to imagine a better example of what a little support, a lot of hard work and a shared sense of pride can achieve.”
Elaine Grant, manager of Falkirk Delivers, added: “The amount of time, hard work and commitment Blooming Bairns have put into transforming this space has been incredible, and they should be extremely proud of what they have achieved.
“Bringing the schools bench project into the garden makes it even more special and is a fantastic example of local people, young people and community groups working together to make a positive difference to Falkirk town centre.”