Hard-working volunteers are seeing the fruits of their labours after toiling away in Mossley.

The Friends of Egmont Street Playing Fields have been busy creating a vegetable plot to go alongside their fruit garden.

The official opening was undertaken by Mossley MP Jonathan Reynolds before he was given a tour of the community initiative.

The friends’ group was set up to work together as a community and to make the  area a better place to live. After tackling vandalism, anti-social behaviour, graffiti and litter at the site in Bottom Mossley, the group set about creating wildlife, fruit and vegetable plots.

The friends also make jams and chutneys from the produce grown and sell these to raise funds for the garden.

Lesley Arnold, who, alongside her husband Stephen, designed the garden, said: “This garden, which has been funded by Action Together, has been 18 months in the making, as it was delayed by the pandemic. 

“The plot complements the adjoining plot The Fruit Garden and is intended to be the last garden that we create.

“The space used to consist of a 6ft high bramble bed, on the border of the Egmont Street playing field, which was cleared by our hard-working volunteers, before we set about building the planters we have created to plant our vegetables in. 

“The garden was built during the winter of 2021, ready for planting in the spring,” she added.

“Our volunteers worked tirelessly during the difficult conditions caused by Covid and created the amazing space you see today.

“We would like to thank everyone who has helped us create this beautiful space, which gives a great deal of pleasure to visitors to the park, who are always welcome.”

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