Fountain going green

The Garden at Bastion Plots were officially opened by Co-operation Ireland Chief Executive Peter Sheridan. The community garden allotments are part of the Growing Together project and is funded by Co-operation Ireland. It has been delivered in partnership with the local community.

The project involved the construction of a community garden for local people to grow their own produce and it also included a number of training and team building days for the whole community.

Jeannette Warke, a community coordinator who spoke at the event said: "It is like a wee oasis in the middle of the Fountain, hopefully big things will grow from that."

Speaking about the event itself she said: "It was fabulous - so well attended, all the people I wanted were there. Mark Durkan was there, that was great. The City Centre Initiative turned out, we are proud of that, the Department of Social Development were there, one of our funders, the Housing Executive were there, they gave a piece of land over to us. Ilex were there, the City of Culture bid is important there and Tour Guides were there. They said looking down onto it from the Walls would be included as part of the tour."

Jeanette said there were a number of positive aspects to the project: "People can come and plant food and enjoy eating some healthy food. There is the self-satisfaction of planting something, looking after it, watching it grow and eventually eating some healthy food."

She explains what there is on offer: "The whole site has an historical theme to it - the stone walls representing the Derry Walls, the old gate representing the archway, we have a railway sleeper from GNR railway whose station used to terminate not too far from the Fountain, we have Oak benches from Gransha Park, we have storytelling sections and the children will absolutely love that.

"It is brilliant now, there are seven allotments for Fountain Primary School, shaped like the petals of a flower. There are twelve for the community. Fountain Primary School loved it and can't wait to get starting off growing their own food."