Mill Lane Community Garden 
Mill Lane Community Garden The Mill Lane Community Garden has come a long way since it’s inception at the end of 2019,
when we successfully resisted losing this earmarked site on the Driftway estate, to more housing.
A management committee was set up and we have been working tirelessly to put into place all the Legal and Health and Safety requirements that are necessary.
A local landscape gardener Lucie Ponsford offered her expertise to draw up a design for the garden, and we began applying for grants.
We have applied for 14 grants altogether. An initial donation of £310, plus £200 from Friends of the Earth, enabled us to pay for all the start-up costs.
We were awarded £1,000 from CPC for benches and small planters.
In January this year, we were awarded £2,500 from the National Lottery Local Connections Fund, which enabled us to complete the first three raised beds in the garden.
In the meantime, volunteers have been preparing the site for planting and growing. We have spent in excess of 260 volunteer hours at the garden in the last 3 months alone.
Chinnor Turf have supported us with free top soil. In addition, we have had numerous donations of soil and hardcore, needed for the raised beds.
We have established several wildlife areas and a boggy area with suitable plants and a small pool of water.
We strive to bring biodiversity and wildlife into the garden, and encourage hedgehogs and other small visitors to thrive here.
There has already been much planting of trees, shrubs, fruit trees, native hedging and wild flowers at the garden. Most of this has been generously donated by the public.
We have also been awarded a grant for ‘wilding’ the periphery of the garden with grasses and wild flowers.
The committee have been fundraising: the Christmas Raffle brought in £70, the Go Fund Me appeal £504, and a hugely successful Plant and Seed Swap on 24th April raised £500.
We must thank everyone who has supported the Community Garden in the many diverse ways, as well as the CPC, for their support.
The volunteers who work at the garden and on the committee are also to be thanked, with a special mention to Lauretta Milligan.
We hope to have completed one side of the garden by early summer. A further £3,200 is needed to complete the project, and we continue to apply for funds for this.
We plan to have an official Open Day this summer, after which the fenced off part of the garden will be open for set hours during the week.
The front section of the garden is always open and is already well used. It is a lovely area planted with trees, shrubs and bulbs,
with seating for those who want to rest or to meet up with friends.
All this has been achieved despite lockdown and all the Covid restrictions.
The Garden is an evolving space for the enjoyment of the whole Community, and we hope that many people will benefit from this growing and wildlife space,
which will be accessible to all ages and abilities.
We already have two D of E students benefitting by doing their volunteering with us.
Please visit our website www.milllanecommunitygarden.com for a fully illustrated history of the garden, with thanks to Keith Webley for setting up and managing the website.