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| Sponsored by HSBC |
History The Floral Guernsey Council, decided, in 2006, to invest annually in projects that would be of long term benefit
to the island in terms of enhancing the environment.
These projects
are varied and seek to directly respond to the general public by an appeal for suggestions of areas in need of attention.The Floral Guernsey Committee would welcome further suggestions for areas
to be improved, please email Helen Litchfield at hlitchfield@cwgsy.net
2009
2009 was an exceptionally busy year for the Legacy Project team.
St Paul’s Gardens Our first project was to renovate St Pauls Gardens in St Peter Port
(commonly known as the Sunken Gardens.) Situated outside the new court buildings at the top of Smith Street, below the new
extension to St James Concert Hall and at the top of Smith Street, the area is a popular facility.
The gardens feature a central lawn area with
steep banks either side which had been extensively planted in the 1970’s with heathers and conifers. Most of these were
now a long way past their best, with many of the conifers showing large areas of dead wood and the heathers straggly. A date was
set in late April and staff volunteers from sponsors HSBC, staff from Parks and Gardens and Floral Guernsey St Peter Port
volunteers got together to remove the spent planting and plant the new.
The end result was a rejuvenated garden with
a diverse range of planting to provide interest all the year round. Now the central lawn has been relaid it provides a very
pleasant area for the public to relax in.
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| North Plantation before renovation |
North Plantation
St Peter Port Floral Guernsey Committee
requested the rejuvenation of the North Plantation, an area in the heart of town that has been in need of attention for some
time. Working in conjunction with the St Peter Port Floral Guernsey Committee, The Environment Department Land Management
Department and the States Grounds Maintenance Department, a simple plan was drawn up to provide
a central pathway, with an elevated seating area, surrounded by exuberant planting. This was an excellent example of the whole
community pulling together to make a real difference to our townscape. On a sunny day in June, months of planning came together
as volunteers from sponsors HSBC, St Peter Port Floral Committee, St Peter Port Town Constables and employees of the Parks
and Gardens Department spent a whole day planting over 300 plants. A short time later, paths were laid and new benches installed
and a previously gloomy area has been transformed into relaxing space from which to enjoy the views over St Peter Port inner
harbour.
2008
Private sponsorshop was sought and found from H.S.B.C bank PLC. Again in response to requests from the general public
and in consultation with the States Department of Environment and the St Peter Port Floral Guernsey Committee, two projects
were identified.
Vale Castle car park
The first was the landscaping of the
car park that serves the Vale Castle. This was something of an eyesore, and was used by commercial vehicles
for parking large and unsightly containers and by young drivers as an area to show off their hand brake turns, leading to
pot holing in the granite chipping surface.
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| Vale Castle car park before redevelopment |
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| Vale Castle car park after redevelopment |
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A scheme was drawn up to create restricted entrance and exit points to try and discourage the overnight
parking of large vehicles and the gathering of large numbers of young people in their vehicles.
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Banks were created and planted with native species. On leaving
St Sampsons, heading North, one is now confronted with green vistas on passing the boat yards, greatly enhancing the rural
aspect of the Vale.
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2007- Airport Grounds By public vote, the airport grounds were the chosen project. An ambitious scheme of planting was established on the
first of the grass mounds closest to the terminal building. Although this planting will take some time to establish, in a
few years time it will provide a welcoming and permanent display for visitors and locals alike, featuring plants that thrive
in the Guernsey environment, block planted, in a restricted colour palette of blues, silvers and purples. 2006 -Fern and Bulb border in Candie Gardens. Considerable public funds had been invested in restoring the gardens
to their former Victorian splendour. However, one border, below a large retaining wall that divides the upper and lower gardens,
was left unplanted. A fern and bulb border was created, utilising old and rare varieties of daffodils and ferns.
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