Fire forces city community garden to close

The Rainbow Garden charity has been running the community space in north Hull for 25 years

A community garden in Hull has been forced to temporarily close after a fire destroyed a shed and a seating area.

Firefighters were called to the Rainbow Garden, Levisham Close, during the early hours of Friday morning, with the fire spreading to surrounding trees and fencing.

Trustees of the community project described the level of damage as “upsetting”, but said they were thankful no one was injured.

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service described the cause of fire as "undetermined".

Fire crews used three hose reels and a thermal imaging camera whilst dealing with the fire at about 03:50 BST.

The garden would shut for a week to support police and fire investigations, the charity said, with all planned activities cancelled during the closure.

The charity's trustees asked for people "not to speculate about the cause of the fire".

Sharing the news on social media, they said: “This was a supportive space where we shared laughs and tears over cups of tea while sheltering from the weather.

"Please be understanding when we reopen as we may need to adapt as we try to bring back what was lost."

The Rainbow Garden, which was awarded three years of National Lottery Community Fund money in 2022, runs craft sessions, after school clubs, gardening projects and friendship groups.

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