Charity

Housebuilder donates £2,500 to help create sensory garden in Prestbury

- 22 Apr 22

A housebuilder has donated £2,500 to help pay for a sensory garden to be created in a location near Cheltenham. The money was donated to Prestbury Parish Council by Vistry Group to part fund the £5,000 garden on public land at the corner of Barley Road and Prestbury Road. The land was handed over to the parish council as open space as part of the Starvehall Farm development where Vistry, under its Bovis Homes brand, alongside Bloor Homes have delivered 300 properties. Vistry is now working on a scheme to deliver a further 50 two-bedroom apartments under its Bovis Homes brand at Spectre Hill, neighbouring the sensory garden. Plans for the sensory garden feature five raised beds with a variety of plants to engage the different senses. Linda Langrish, chairman of Prestbury Parish Council, said: “We are very grateful indeed to Vistry for donating £2,500 to provide us with half of the total needed to fund this project. “We applied for a grant from Cheltenham Borough Council to create a sensory garden as a community project and they agreed to give us half of the £5,000 cost. I approached Vistry for the other half and they kindly agreed to give us the rest of the money. “The idea is that this will be a public space where everyone, but particularly people with disabilities, can come to enjoy the calming quality of nature. “Flowers such as daffodils and tulips will present a beautiful sight, while tall reeds and grasses create soothing sounds, and soft-leaved plants and sedges will allow the visitors to physically feel the wonder of the display. Flowering shrubs and aromatic herbs such as lavender and rosemary will fill the air with wonderful smells, while fruits and edible flowers will provide the chance to taste the harvest from the garden. “The sensory garden will be a fabulous asset to all the residents in the village by providing a space where they can relax and connect with the natural world. We hope having this area will prove to be beneficial to people’s mental well-being and a big thank you must go to Bovis Homes for their generosity in helping us finance the project.” Charles Bond, sales manager for Spectre Hill, said: “As a responsible developer we pride ourselves in not only creating vibrant new neighbourhoods but also in connecting with the local community. “When Prestbury Parish Council came to us asking for help to fund a sensory garden which would benefit the whole village, we had no hesitation in agreeing to help them. It is such a simple but clever idea which will provide a relaxing and calming area which is truly inclusive.” For more information about the apartments at Spectre Hill visit bovishomes.co.uk.