Fly-tipped wasteland turned into community garden

A frustrated gardener was so riled by a dirty and inaccessible plot of land in his town centre, that he stripped the site and helped turn it into a community garden.

Neil Collingwood was looking for a project after being diagnosed with leukaemia and, being a passionate nature enthusiast, wanted to attract wildlife to a forgotten area of Leek in Staffordshire.

After clearing the mess, he was joined by like-minded gardener Jack Laverick, who planted beds and flowers to create a "secret garden".

"It's a piece of long-neglected land which we've converted from a complete disaster into a garden," said Mr Collingwood.

"We're a good team," he said, pointing to Mr Laverick, "I'm the destroyer and he's the creator."

Jack Laverick has grown much of the garden from seed and used crowdfunding donations to pay for the rest of the plants

The patch of land is accessible via a graffitied and littered alleyway just off Haywood Street, the main access road through the Staffordshire Moorlands town.

It used to be the site of a workshop, warehouse and cottages, which decayed and were eventually demolished.

Opportunistic fly-tippers threw old mattresses, oil drums and plastic bags filled with rubbish into the thick foliage, making the area inaccessible and unpleasant.

"I think a lot of people, particularly women, didn't like to walk down this alleyway, because they felt rather threatened by it," Mr Collingwood said.

"It was such a mess on this piece of land."

In February 2024, Mr Collingwood started a new regime of chemotherapy and was looking for an activity to take his mind off his condition.

"This used to irritate me so much that I just decided that I needed a project to get stuck into," he said.

Before and after photos showed how the site was transformed

After clearing the site, Mr Collingwood went on holiday and on his return unexpectedly found Mr Laverick had started planting.

"I'd seen other people doing similar things online, trying to clear up fly-tipped areas and alleyways in Manchester," Mr Laverick said.

"They were using plants and gardens as a way to keep rubbish from coming back."

"I'd seen what Neil was doing and I thought it could be great for that."

Recycling is also an important aspect of the project.

The gardening pair have repurposed filing cabinets, trampoline pieces and a bath to create flower beds, an archway and a bird bath.

"Lots of people are wandering in, sitting down, having lunch, just appreciating the plants, learning about nature," Mr Laverick said.

"People are really enjoying it."

Those people include Leek town councillors, who have visited the site and think it is an excellent idea to use the space for an urban garden.