Gardening
We aim to promote interest and participation in gardening by communicating our plans and inviting village residents to participate in meetings and in community gardening. Our activities are updated with regular Facebook posts and also in the local community magazine ‘The Prattle’.
Members and supporters garden together in a social atmosphere to maintain the planted areas, sharing knowledge and expertise as they do so.
We grow hundreds of plants either from seed, from plug plants or by splitting overgrown plants to sell at the Plant Sale. Fellow villagers grow plants for us to sell and help out at the sale.
Origins of the Jubilee Memorial Garden
The site of the garden is behind and to the side of Halton War Memorial. It was a kitchen garden belonging to St Wilfrid’s House and later it was donated to the village by the Rector. It was called variously the Jubilee Garden, the Jubilee Memorial Garden and is often known as the Memorial Garden.
This old kitchen garden was replaced by a public garden given to the village in 1935 by the rector, the Rev. J.H. Hastings. This gift was to commemorate the silver jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary, and in memory of his parents, Samuel and Sarah, and his brother, Capt. G.H. Hastings, as shown on the plaque on the wall of the Memorial Garden.
In 1937 the Lunesdale District Council authorised £55 for Coronation celebrations to be paid over to the Celebration Committee of the Parish Council. It was decided that the Jubilee Garden be officially opened by the Chairman of the Parish Council.
Lancaster Guardian - Friday 14 May 1937 - Opening the Garden Ceremony
The Halton programme commenced with a service at the Church conducted by the Rector (Rev. J. Hastings). This was followed by the opening the Memorial Garden when the Rector was asked by Mr. E. Green, chairman of the Parish Council to unlock the gate and declare the Garden open, to commemorate the occasion of the Coronation. Mrs. Hastings planted a tree in the Garden, before crowd of villagers.
Lancaster Guardian - Friday 25 June 1937
A balance of £4 0s. 9d. was revealed in the Halton Coronation Celebrations account at the final committee meeting. It was decided to purchase two seats with the remainder and place the seats in the Jubilee Garden to commemorate the Coronation.
Lancaster Guardian - 5th November 1937
It was decided that Mr. J. Hodgson be asked to undertake the duties of looking after the Memorial Cross and the Jubilee Garden for the year 1938 on the present conditions. It was also decided to accept the generous offer of Mr. A. Shaw, an ex-chairman of the Parish Council, of the gift of a memorial gate for the Jubilee Garden, and to send him a letter of thanks.
