The Friends of Shirley Park community group has opened its rejuvenated rose garden after securing a bid of over £20,000 from their local Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fund.
On Friday 26 July, the Mayor of Solihull officially reopened the rose garden in Shirley Park with members of the community in attendance to celebrate the new additions to the space. The event also marked the official start of Love Parks Week, a week-long celebration (July 26th - August 4th) highlighting the vital role green spaces play in boosting the health and wellbeing of residents and communities.
The garden is a well-used part of the park for visitors looking for a quiet, serene spot to visit. The replanting of the area has been designed with a sensory focus; the new plants have been selected by Friends of Shirley Park for their fragrance and texture, as well as offering value to local biodiversity.
The community funding from the CIL fund allowed the local group to employ professional landscapers to rejuvenate the area, aided by teams from Veolia and volunteers from the Friends of Shirley Park group.
The new area has been specially designed to be accessible and welcoming for everyone, with raised beds for wheelchair users and people with mobility issues to garden.
The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE, said:
“It’s fantastic to see a serene space like this revitalising the heart of the local community in Shirley. Gardens like these are safe, comfortable, peaceful places that can offer an important respite from the everyday stressors of our increasingly fast-paced lives. It’s so important to have these green spaces for everyone in the community to enjoy.
“I am very impressed with the thought, compassion and effort that has gone into this redesign, and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this rejuvenation possible. I encourage everyone to come and enjoy the peace and tranquillity that the new Shirley Park rose garden has to offer.”
Wendie, Chairperson of Friends of Shirley Park, said:
“We’re so pleased to finally reveal the rejuvenation of our beautiful rose garden, thanks to the hard work of our members in partnership with Solihull Council, Green Rooms Landscaping and Veolia.
“Our roses were chosen for their names – Storyteller, Warm Welcome and Blessings – although a rose by any other name would smell as sweet! On behalf of Friends of Shirley Park, I’d like to thank everyone involved in bringing life back into our rose garden.
“This refurbishment is, hopefully, the first part of a larger plan to improve and enhance the Shirley Park ‘Wellbeing Corridor’, which stretches from the Childrens’ Play Area to the Rose Garden. I really recommend bidding for a share of the CIL fund if you’ve got ideas about how your community group can support and improve your local area.”
CIL money is collected from new developments as part of the normal planning process. It is intended to support community projects in areas where development has taken place. The CIL fund is currently open for bids - for more information, visit our website here: Neighbourhood Proportion | solihull.gov.uk.
If you would like to volunteer in your local park or green space, get in touch with Love Solihull, the Council’s environmental campaign, by emailing lovesolihull@solihull.gov.uk.
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