The Mearns and Coastal Healthy Living Network gardening group for older people has been busy this gardening season at their edibles-based projects at Benholm Mill, Queen Elizabeth Court, Fettercairn, and also Laurencekirk train station planters. There has been a good harvest of fruit and vegetables and the group members have been taking fresh produce home to eat. We will also be using our produce for cookery sessions later in the year.
The planters at Laurencekirk Train station, for which the group are the nominated Scotrail adopters, have each been planted with its own interesting edible theme based upon the plants used within the container, including “pod pot” and “pizza pot”. We hope our planters will offer commuters and visitors to the train station some ideas in container and edible gardening.
The planters have been generating a lot of interest from commuters and others using the train station, and we were also very proud to receive a certificate in the Laurencekirk Beautiful Gardens Competition this year! Unfortunately there was some vandalism of out teapots at the station, but Scotrail have carried out excellent work to find the culprits for the incident, thanks to CCTV, and so we will be replacing our teapots and plants very soon! We are also preparing a leaflet with information about each pot’s unique planting at the train station, and we will leave a copy of this on display at the station, as well as distributing our leaflets to community and business venues in the area. Leaflets will also be available to collect from our office in Laurencekirk.
Joint gardening activities have also taken place with Laurencekirk primary school and Marykirk School gardening clubs, where we helped the pupils sow wildflower seeds and plant edibles in the school grounds and also at Co-op car park grounds. We have also planted a colourful summer display of flowers at Robson Car Park planters in Laurencekirk.
Our gardening group is for older people, with the aim of promoting social inclusion and keeping healthy and active, and we also like to help enhance the local community with our gardening. Our group members have a lot of fun, and enjoy harvesting the fresh produce, getting involved with the local community, and working with other community groups.
We also operate a garden maintenance service for older people who would like some help with their garden, and further details can be obtained by contacting our office. The gardening group meets weekly on Monday afternoons, and we are looking for volunteers to help with transport for the group, and to assist with the gardening activities. If you have some time to spare to help, and have an interest in gardening or working with older people then please contact us. Contact person is Bernie Dawks, gardening project worker.
Mearns and Coastal Healthy Living Network, 44 High Street, Laurencekirk. AB30 1AB tel 01561 378130. Email mchln.berniedawks@gmail.com.
