Caldmore Community Garden flies flag as one of UK’s best green spaces

A community garden in the heart of Walsall is flying the flag as one of the nation’s best green spaces for the fourth year running.

Caldmore Community Garden, which is managed by Caldmore Village Festival Group has received a Green Flag Community Award in recognition of its dedicated volunteer involvement.

The garden, which is leased from leading Midlands’ landlord whg and supported by Walsall Council, was established in 2011 on a piece of derelict land.

It is now a thriving hub used as a space for recreation, food growing, community events and a holiday play scheme for children.

Chairman of Caldmore Village Festival Mohammed Arif said: “Staff and volunteers have worked extra-hard before, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic to keep the community garden open to the public as it was a vital piece of open space.

“I want to congratulate everyone involved in maintaining our Green Flag status and thank our core partners whg, Walsall Council and GreenSquareAccord for their continued support. We also recognise the role key funders like The National Lottery Community Fund, Tudor Trust, Heart of England Community Fund, People’s Health Trust and West Midlands Combined Authority have played in helping us to achieve this status.”

Fay Shanahan, Corporate Director of Operations at whg, said: “Green spaces play a hugely important role in bringing local people together and creating happy, healthy communities. Caldmore Community Garden is making a real difference to the health and wellbeing of all those who use it and over the last two years has been a lifeline for local people needing a place to meet and socialise safely. We’re really proud to be involved in the garden and would like to congratulate everyone involved in creating such an amazing space.”

Stuart Rochelle, Area Locality Manager at GreenSquareAccord, said: “It’s been a pleasure visiting Caldmore Community Garden today. Creating environments where our customers can thrive is a vital part of social housing because everything we do is about our people.

“We have worked very closely in the Caldmore community for a long time through our involvement with the former Caldmore Area Housing Association. It’s fantastic to see a garden in one of our communities being acknowledged as one of the nation’s best green spaces again this year. Congratulations to everyone involved.”

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.