Nature haven for town centre spot

Pupils from St John’s Primary School on Church Street joined Talbot ward councillors Mark Smith and Ian Coleman to plant a wildflower meadow on open space at the front of the Salvation Army Citadel.

A fence has been installed in order to create a nature haven close to the hustle and bustle of the town centre.

Coun Smith said: “We wanted to create a planted area and help make this piece of land look better.

“There is not much open space in the town centre so we have been working towards this for the last couple of years or so.

“Unfortunately there is not the funding available to create a formal planted area which is why we have decided to go for wildflowers instead.

“Pupils from St John’s School, which is just down the road, came along to help out with the planting.

“They will also be able to use the garden as part of their lessons, when it comes to learning about nature and the environment.

“We hope people will respect the garden and look after it.”

Funding for the initiative has come from the Talbot ward budget and the former area forum budget.

Some cash was also allocated from the council’s commuted sums, which are financial contributions made by developers as part of the planning system.

A metre high fence has been installed including a gate giving access to the site.