This afternoon, Andrew was joined by local activists and councillors Cllr. Meg Davis and Cllr. Ray Best at the Bedford’s Park Walled Garden to attend the ‘Big Lunch’ and the Essex Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) 12th birthday.
The Walled Garden’s ‘Big Lunch’ was an opportunity for local people to meet in a relaxed setting, where they could sample local music, food and drink, while the EWT Open Day provided an opportunity for local people to find out more about the important work the EWT does protecting the wildlife of Essex. In addition to networking and information opportunities, there were historical guided tours of the Garden, an open-fire Pizza Oven, craft tables and children’s activities.
Bedfords Park Walled Garden
Bedfords Park is an ancient manor estate dating back to the early 13th century, and the Walled Garden has existed on its current site since the 1770s. It has functioned as a ‘kitchen garden’ - focusing on cultivation of food and flowers - throughout its history, but in 1999 it was closed, and fell into dilapidation for some time.
In recent years, the charity Clear Village stepped in, working with local people to bring the Garden back to its former glory, this time as a community space for the education of local people about gardening and growing their own food.
Andrew was delighted to meet staff and volunteers and enjoy the food on offer, including wild strawberries he picked himself, grown within the walled garden!
Essex Wildlife Trust
The Essex Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading conservation charity. It has more than 33,000 members, and manages and protects over 8,200 acres of land on 87 nature reserves, 2 nature parks and runs 9 visitor centres. Since its foundation, it has strived to preserve the wildlife of Essex for future generations.
Following the event, Andrew said:
“It was an absolute pleasure to visit the Walled Garden event today and it was truly wonderful to see so many people here doing such good work in our community to presere our rural heritage. I will continue to support their work and look forward to working with them in the future.”
To find out more information about both the Walled Garden and the EWT, visit their websites:
Bedford's Park Walled Garden
Essex Wildlife Trust