The Pitstop Garden Project – Addiewell, West Lothian
The site
The Pitstop serves the community of Addiewell and is now an important part of the community. Addiewell is a community rich in spirit but poor financially and the multiple deprivation index indicates that it is ranked among the lowest 15 % of communities in Scotland. The Pitstop project is a unique community owned and managed organisation which has now been running for 5 years. It is an organisation that is increasingly seen as a standard bearer of good practice and innovation through the work that it does, the services it brings and the partners that it works with.
The Pitstop has many aims including the promotion and enhancement of health and well-being through physical exercise, and through education in areas of both physical and mental health and well-being. There is active youth work every other day and also opportunities for volunteering. The building hosts events for all age groups – ranging from soft play classed for children to tea afternoons for pensioners.
Securing the Pitstop for the future is an ongoing challenge, and money is not always available for all projects. As such, help in making improvements to the garden area would be very welcome.
The project
There is a small area of ground to the site of the centre which is currently rough grass, but which the local community are keen to develop into an attractive garden space.
This project would involve:
Erecting a low fence to mark out the perimeter of the garden area
Preparing the ground for planting with organic compost, weed suppressing membrane and bark chip
Planting a mixture of plant species that are native to the area, as well as species that are non-native, but still offer value to small animals and insects.
It is hoped that following this work, children who attend the centre will carry out additional work in the garden, which will include the painting of the fence, so as to increase their sense of ownership of the site.
