More on the future of Lock 15 Gardens

Following my rather depressing update on the future of the gardens at Lock15 last month, I am now excited to reveal that we are now about to enter into an agreement with the Canal & River Trust (C&RT) which will ensure the continuation of the gardens.

After my article last month, a flurry of well placed e-mails, a very helpful intervention of our new M.P. and the very much appreciated expressions of support by local people, helped to secure a change of position by C&RT.

Indeed two weeks ago, we gardeners met with the local C&RT manager fearing the worst, but instead we were being told how attractive the gardens looked and that the Trust wanted to work with us and that we could have a formal arrangement with them.

To say that our flabber was gasted is an understatement!

We were offered two possible ways forward. The one that we discussed together and felt best fitted our situation was to enter an "Adoption" agreement with the Trust so that we look after an area of land on the lock side.

The Adoption Scheme is one that the Trust is seeking to promote nationwide and a number of successful project have already been set up. From the Trust's point of view, this helps them to fulfil their charter criteria of local community involvement, and we would count towards their volunteer numbers; from our point of view, we get to use the land in a sustainable and ecologically sympathetic way.

The Trust is eager that the area at Lock15 should be an attractive "Welcome to Audlem" and we, as gardeners, would aim to provide this by the way we manage our gardens and when possible, by being a human source of welcome and information to visitors.

The Gardeners Group are considering the possibility to ask ADAPT if we could become one of the Action Groups within ADAPT alongside the Food Group, Energy Group and Transport Group. We also wish to have links with AWEG (Audlem Wildlife & Ecology Group) to further our ecological aims.

So the sun is shining once more on our gardens – even if we need the rain!

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