New community garden opens up in Southside of Glasgow

Disused land in Kennishead Avenue has been recently been transformed into the Kennishead Community Garden.

The space will allow locals to come together, connect and grow their own fruit and vegetables.

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One of the residents, Carol Ann Joyce, said: "I’ve stayed in Kennishead for 53 years and the work being done just now makes me so proud of the area.

“The garden will be a great opportunity to get the residents out of their blocks and mingling with each other again.

“Me and a few other residents are looking forward to the summer holidays when children round here will have an opportunity to muck in."

Another resident, William Eadie, added: "I’m delighted the garden is opening. Gardening is a huge hobby of mine and, as I stay in the high flats, I need to travel to allotments and other communities to get any gardening done.

"With the community garden now going to be on my doorstep, you’ll never get me out of it."

The project was brought to life after Wheatley Homes Glasgow asked the local community what they would like to see in the area.

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Wheatley Homes Glasgow tenant chair, Bernadette Hewitt, said: "Sustainability and community are at the forefront of this project, and the garden will really bring the area to life for our tenants and locals to enjoy.

"It was designed and built with input from the local community, and we’re grateful for their involvement. In addition to fruit and vegetables, when complete, the garden will feature planters built from recycled materials collected by our Neighbourhood Environmental Teams (NETs) and flowers hand-grown by tenants.

"There will also be a purpose-built composting area, where our NETs will leave biodegradable waste for on-site concierge staff to compost. This will then be used in the garden and offered to community groups."