Garden
In 2003 I was inducted into the Pastorate of Shotts E U Congregational Church. The congregation were wonderful, very positive, forward thinking, and full of energy. Although the church building was in good condition, the grounds left a big question mark. It was over-run with weeds which were about 3ft high and all sorts of rubbish had been dumped there. It was not the image for a church - especially one like ours. In June 2006, I spent a morning on the phone contacting various Departments of the local council and ended up speaking to Jim Curtis of Community Services. And asked if his Department could assist us with tidying up and revamping the church grounds On discussion it appeared the church grounds were barren and required a complete overhaul. After collaboration between myself and Community Services the plans for the grounds were agreed and work was set in motion using service users who were on Community Service as part of their payback to the Community. The Senior Supervisor on the project was Bobby Campbell, he had the vision and energy to turn a huge piece of wasteland into some beautiful., the church and community can enjoy The project involved NLC’s Community Service team renovating 2 acres of waste ground previously used for fly-tipping. Over 80 tonnes of rubbish was removed before the area was landscaped using 95% of recycled materials. The Council’s parks department also contributed unwanted wooden sleepers and rocks, soil and grass seed and plants, the Scottish Wildlife Trust supplied bark and logs. The local community supplied slabs for the paths, Tams Loup Quarries, Whin Dust, Castle Decorators, paint, Church members and members of the community, supplied plants and flowers Bird/Bat Boxes. Generous donations were received from Local Businesses and Organisations, and the History Group Since the garden was officially opened in June 2008, it has accredited North Lanarkshire Council’s Community Service Team with a variety of awards. One of the most prolific is the Community Project of the Year Award, which was presented by The Herald Society. North Lanarkshire Council also recognised the main Supervising Officer on the project with a Landscaping Award. The project in general service users on Community Service meaningful skills including developing confidence and teaching making them more employable. They were involved in 10,500 hours of unpaid work, most of which was done by hand. The garden now boasts a memorial and sensory garden which allows members of the Community to use. The church very much appreciates the contribution everyone had in helping with this project. We certainly couldn’t have done it without each and every one. Since the initial completion of the garden, Community Service regularly maintains the grounds and collaborates. However like all gardens it is a work in progress and the church along with Bobby Campbell and his team are ever striving to improve the garden. We have won the following Awards. Neighbourhood Award 2009 Certificate of Merit Awarded to Shotts EU Congregational Church Memorial Garden RHS Britain in Bloom Beautiful North Lanarkshire Garden and Environmental Award 2009 Landscape Development Award Shotts EU Congregational Church North Lanarkshire Council
We have a group of willing helpers from the church who try to keep the weeds down. If you wish to give a hand please let us know.
