Castlebank Park was in desperate need of renovation when Lanark Community Development Trust took over the management of the gardens from the local council in late 2013. A large part of the park was no longer in public use and was severely overgrown and neglected. Volunteers and work squads from Community Payback cleared and renovated the park and reopened it to the public. The Trust, working in partnership with the local council, succeeded in obtaining green flag status for the park.
With a lease from South Lanarkshire Council, Castlebank Horticultural Centre was created by Lanark Community Development Trust, turning derelict sawmill buildings and a disused tennis court into a community growing oasis. Volunteers, under the guidance of an educational gardener, enjoy growing a wide range of flowers and plants for use in the park, and to help their community, they also grow vegetables which they donate to the local food bank.
The Centre uses a lot of compost for the annual planting in the park, so to help save on the cost of this, and create a more environmentally-friendly solution, they started to produce their own – a win-win!
The Horticulture Training Centre hosts visits from a variety of groups in and around Lanark and delivers a range of training courses. Check out the links below to find out how you can take part!
