Tumbledown celebrates new accessible path and raised beds

Tumbledown, a former farm being transformed by Weymouth Town Council, is celebrating after a new path which leads to a raised bed area was put in making it more accessible for people to care for plants and enjoy the outdoors.   

The beds were made last year by volunteers to provide a space where people with limited mobility could work at a bench to plant, propagate and care for plants. In July, building company Tilbury Douglas and Blanchard Wells sourced the materials and provided labour to install a concrete path from the Swallow Barn to the raised beds.  

Alan Chambers, Site Manager at Tumbledown said: “Last month we welcomed staff from Blanchard Wells, Tilbury Douglas and Dorset County Hospital to Tumbledown to help with the new path.  

“It looks fantastic, and we really enjoyed having staff from the building companies on site for three days carrying out the work. We had different working stations with people helping to transfer the good compost from the big pile in our top car park to the growing areas, and weeding the fruit beds. It’s great when people come to the site and work with others who attend to make improvements to the site together.”  

Each year the Town Council uses the green waste from parks and play areas to make the compost that is used to grow vegetables and fruit.  

Phoebe Gale, Social Value Co-ordinator from Tilbury Doughlas, added: “Tilbury Douglas and our supply chain partners Blanchard Wells Ltd were happy to support the wonderful team at Tumbledown Community Space to redevelop their path and raised bed area.  

These works are aimed to support Tumbledown’s goal of creating green spaces and learning how to make accessible growing spaces for food. Alongside the work on the raised bed, our team visited for the day to help with gardening tasks, such as shifting compost and weeding.   

“These activities are part of our social value commitment alongside our projects to create positive lasting legacies in the communities we work within. Thank you very much to Alan and the team for letting us get stuck in, and thanks to Blanchard Wells Ltd, G Crook & Sons, Hills Quarry Products Ltd, and Precon Products Ltd for their help on the project.”   

Any companies or groups who would like to hold team-building or volunteering days at Tumbledown can contact Alan Chambers, Site Manager, by emailing alanchambers@weymouthtowncouncil.gov.uk 

For more information about Tumbledown, visit the Council’s website.  

Images below courtesy of Tilbury Doughlas.

ENDS  

Notes to Editors  

The latest information and updates about the ongoing construction works will be shared by Weymouth Town Council’s website, Facebook, and X pages.