The Garden Project

As a charity, Bedford House is always fundraising to improve our community space. Our current focus is on organically developing our garden into a vibrant, accessible, and engaging space for all.

We are working step by step to create a multi-sensory garden, filled with wildflowers and an outdoor learning area, providing a peaceful environment for creativity, education, and well-being.

This in-house development allows us to grow our garden sustainably and meaningfully, ensuring it meets the needs of our community. Stay tuned for updates as we bring this vision to life! 🌿✨

Want to help us grow our garden even further? Join the gardening volunteers!  You can also make a donation contributing towards plants and other items required for the garden.  Donate using the button in the header!

Our Garden Journey so far…

2025

January

The Garden is slowly waking up after the winter.

Chris, Gardener, planted the donated fir trees and evergreens in the Forest zone.

A backyard with tall, leafless trees, a green lawn, a pile of cut logs, a wooden fence, and a blue sky with some clouds.

And prepared a trail for a wilderness path.

A backyard with a dirt pathway bordered by a wooden fence on the left and an inclined grassy area on the right. Several trees are visible, some with leaves and some without. In the background, there is a large brick house with multiple chimneys and windows. The sky is clear and blue, with the sun shining brightly in the upper right corner.
A backyard scene with a tall tree covered in ivy on the right, a wooden fence in the background, and several cut tree trunks arranged on the ground. There are other trees with bare branches, small plants on the ground, and a bright blue sky overhead.
Outdoor event with green canopy tents and tables covered with red checkered tablecloths. A man sits at a table in the foreground, and two women stand and converse in the background. Trees and a fence surround the area.
Garden with bare trees, green ivy on a tree trunk, a wooden fence, and a dirt path in a backyard on a sunny day with blue sky.

March

A seating area along with a pond was conceptualised and Chris started it’s construction in preparation for spring and summer community activities.

People having a picnic under a large leafy tree in a grassy garden, with flower beds and garden planters visible.
A backyard garden with trees, a dirt path, wooden tree stumps, a wooden fence, and a multi-story brick building in the background. Sunlight and blue sky are visible.

May

The seating area and pond have been constructed, and along with some more finishing touches, the garden was ready for all kinds of outdoor parties. The front garden was a big attraction for all visitors with its blooming roses.

White roses and green foliage in a garden bed in front of a brick building with a window.
A gathering of people in a garden with lush green grass and trees, some seated and some standing, participating in an outdoor event.
Pink and white roses blooming in a garden with green leaves, with a house and a driveway in the background.

July

Our garden was a hit with all visitors during the Summer Show.

Outdoor plant sale stand with various potted plants on tables and in crates, set up under a bright green canopy in a grassy area, with trees and houses in the background.
People gather under green tents in a garden outside a brick building on a sunny day with a partly cloudy sky.
A woman and a child standing in a backyard with grass, trees, and a small yellow shed, under a partly cloudy sky.
Two women in coats crouching and smiling among blooming purple crocuses in a garden on a sunny day.
A garden with a freshly planted flower bed with small green plants and flowers, surrounded by a grassy area, with a large tree stump and a birdhouse on top of it in the background.
Two women in coats standing in a grassy yard with purple flowers, one woman pointing toward the top of a large tree, with houses and a wooden fence in the background.

Chris, Gardener, built decorative ‘dead hedges’ which are good for wildlife and for creating points of interest throughout the garden.

Sunlit backyard garden with trees, some bare and some with green leaves, and a dirt pathway bordered by logs, fenced with wooden panels, under a clear blue sky.
Close-up of yellow and white flowering plants in a garden with trees and potted plants in the background.
A backyard with a freshly dug mound of soil, a pile of small branches and twigs, and a few patches of green grass. There is a wooden fence in the background and trees with mostly bare branches.

Chris, Rachel and the volunteer gardeners discussed the plants we would like within our budget.

April

Spring has finally arrived at BHCA and the garden is getting its green back. Chris and Rachel have worked on the front garden and planted new flowering plants as well.

A multi-story residential building with brick and wood exterior, large bay windows at the front, and a small front garden, under a clear blue sky.
A sidewalk garden filled with green plants and colorful flowers next to a brick building with large windows, under a bright blue sky.

June

Chris and Rachel are in full swing to get the garden ready for the Summer Fair and for the sensory walks BHCA plans to conduct.

A backyard with green grass, a fallen log, tall grass and bushes, trees, and a small shed or building in the background, with neighboring houses visible beyond the fence.
Green outdoor canopy set up in a backyard with a small table and three plastic chairs, surrounded by flowers and trees.

August

February

Our crocus lawn looked fabulous.  Spring was on its way.

2024

Our weekly gardener, Bruce, tamed the garden, controlled the bramble shoots, and the grass settled into the bare patches.

Our fortnightly gardening tutor, Rachel, inspired the gardening volunteers, and they worked on some interesting projects, in addition to the general maintenance of the flower beds:

·        A long flowerbed was created on the slope on the lawn.

·        The beginnings of various zones were established such as the Vegetable zone, the Wildflower zone, the Forest zone.

·        A U-shaped flowerbed was created between the Hall and the House garden doors.

·        Tree works in the neighbouring garden provided us with some interesting tree trunks.

·        Flowering pots were installed in the garden together with an arbour seat.

A small wooden birdhouse on top of a tree stump in a backyard with trees and a wooden fence in the background.
Purple crocus flowers blooming among green grass and leaves in a garden.
Red and purple flowers growing outside a brick house, with a window and a parked scooter nearby.
A garden with various green plants and red flowers growing along the side of a residential building with a window. There is a narrow brick path on the left and a parked motorcycle in the background.
A lush garden bed with a large bush of red flowers, and smaller purple and green plants next to a brick house with a white-framed window.
A colorful garden bed with purple, pink, and red flowers along the side of a brick house, with a large tree and a sunny blue sky in the background.
Close-up of pink geraniums in a wooden flower box on a grassy lawn with trees and houses in the background.

2023

We finally had the rear garden re-set.  A team of contractors with machinery spent 2-3 weeks clearing the garden, removing 2 truckloads of fly-tipped items and concrete, and several truckloads of brambles, ivy and general garden rubbish.  The lawn doubled in size, we could see the fences and the garden could breathe again. See the process here.

View from a window showing a backyard with a trailer filled with rocks, a parked silver vehicle partly shaded by a large leafy tree, and a small fenced garden area.
Yard under construction with patches of green grass and areas of soil, surrounded by trees and a fence, with construction tools and materials scattered around.
View of a backyard with a grassy lawn, trees, and houses in the background. A small shed with a metal roof is in the lower left corner, and there are some scattered objects including a soccer ball and white bags, suggesting the yard is being prepared
A grassy backyard with a soccer ball, small trees, and construction cones, surrounded by tall trees and residential buildings in the background.
Backyard with green grass, a small shed, and trees. A truck and an SUV are parked on the grass. Two workers are operating equipment near a pile of soil or debris.
A yard with a green lawn, a silver SUV parked on the grass, and a construction truck with two workers near a wooded area. Construction materials and debris are scattered on the ground.
Partially landscaped backyard with a small section of garden beds on the left and a grassy lawn on the right, surrounded by trees and shrubs, with some construction fencing on the lawn.
A backyard with green grass, trees, and shrubs, with a small garden shed at the bottom left corner. Some areas of the grass show patches of dirt. There are houses visible beyond the trees in the background, and a section of the yard is fenced off wit
View of a backyard with green grass, trees, and neighboring houses in the distance seen from an open window.
A grassy backyard with a slope, bordered by trees and shrubs, with a row of houses visible in the background. A small section of soil is roped off in the lower right corner.
View through an open window showing a backyard with a grassy lawn, trees, and a building with a metal roof.

2022

February

The Garden Development Project was agreed in principle by the Board of Trustees.

April

The first £1,800 were raised which enabled us to commission the concept garden design from Groundwork.org.uk.  Groundwork.org has been developing green spaces nationally for many years and are experienced in garden projects.

June

£2,000 was raised to landscape and re-plant the front garden.  See the process here

View through a window showing a backyard with green grass, bushes, and tall trees in the background, with a metal-roofed shed on the left side and a shadow of a chimney on the grass.
A lush garden area with various green plants and bushes, surrounded by a brick building and a brick pathway.
A lush garden with various green plants and bushes in front of a brick building with white-trimmed windows and trees in the background.
Overgrown garden with lush green plants and bushes in front of a brick house with a window.
Two people gardening or landscaping at a park or garden area near a brick wall, with trees, parked cars, and a building in the background.
A man operating a small red and blue tiller prepares to till soil in a garden area, with parked cars and a large tree in the background.
A house with multiple empty plant pots along a brick wall, with a yard that is partly cleared and partly with grass and weeds, and a parked car in the background.
A backyard with newly planted bushes along the house, and a dirt area with some trees and gardening supplies in the background.
Brick garden bed with flowering plants and leafy bushes outside a house, with stairs leading to the entrance.
A brick building with windows and a small garden bed with green plants and shrubs, bordered by a brick wall, with a paved sidewalk in front.
View of a small garden bed next to a brick house, with various plants and shrubs, bordered by a brick edge and containing a large white rectangular planter filled with purple and green plants.
A garden bed next to a brick house with plants, shrubs, and small trees, surrounded by bark mulch, and a parked blue car in the background.
A landscaped garden bed with various small plants and mulch, with a brick building and windows in the background.

August

The Board approved the requirement to obtain agreement and authorisations from various authorities to pursue the formal design for the rear garden.

September

Fundraising took place for the garden re-set; the prep work required to enable further work. This would entail bramble removal, removing dangerous tree overhang, dead branches, shaving ivy off fences, replacing missing and damaged fence panels. This would also create a lawn approximately double the size of the current lawn.  £8000 is required.

July

The concept garden design for the rear garden was launched at the Summer Show.

Want to help us grow our garden even further? Join the gardening volunteers!

Or make a donation using the button in the header!