Volunteers revive unloved garden with 2,000 plants

More than 50 volunteers helped bring the Sunken Gardens back to life

A city centre park has been brought back to life with more than 2,000 wildflowers and plants.

The Sunken Garden at Peterborough's Central Park was formerly a pond before it was turned into a memorial garden with raised beds in the 1900s, but budget cuts in recent years had left it looking "unloved".

More than 50 volunteers from across the city, including school children, joined the restoration project initiated by Friends of Central Park and the city's Civic Society.

The transformation was carried out with £3,100 of Cambridgeshire Community Foundation funding, and Civic Society chair David Turnock said the uncared-for space had been revamped by the community's efforts and looked "wonderful".

Central Park, in Park Crescent, is often referred to as the city's crown jewel and has won a green flag award for the last 23 years.

Recently, Peterborough City Council reduced the cleaning schedule at the site's toilets and revised its budget for the park's winter attendants to help manage financial challenges.

Volunteers have helped revive the Sunken Gardens at Peterborough's Central Park

Mr Turnock said: "Unfortunately, it had been unloved and no planting or care had taken place there because the council hadn't really got the money to spend on it.

"So we worked together and planted the area over the past four days, and I have to say it's looking rather wonderful.

"We had people from all over the city, and the nicest bit actually was we had three sets of pupils from Thomas Deacon Academy who came on the Friday, and it was really nice to see the young people getting fired up about planting the garden and really taking pride in what they had achieved.

"Everyone is thinking... well, we can make a change even though the council doesn't have very much money to spend on such things."

He added: "It probably would be nice if more people were happy to help in the park, and I know friends of Central Park are always looking for more volunteers to help them organise events, but it does act like a really good green lung for everyone who lives in the centre of the city."

Friends of Central Park thanked all the volunteers who took part in the initiative.

The section of the park was left neglected over the years