Pleasing pockets

Those grim castellated entrances from the New North Road to St Paul Street, Rydon Street, Linton Street and Arlington Avenue are no more. Drivers and pedestrians can now enjoy four fully-planted Pocket Parks.

It took a stalwart group of volunteers two Saturdays in January to dig in bags of compost and plant 2,000 daffodils, 80 roses and many metres of box hedging.

The Parks have been made possible by a grant from The Big Lottery Awards for All and a grant from the Council’s Local Initiatives Fund which receives money from developers operating in our ward as part of the condition for planning consent. We also owe a huge thank you to our local Ward Councillor Martin Klute, whose invaluable work on our behalf succeeded in aligning all the council departments. The Council Highways Department excavated and paid for the excavation of the planting beds.

We may have endured the wettest winter for 250 years but in summer we will possibly need volunteers to water the beds. If you’re able to help keep the new parklets green and in good shape, please email us at the usual address: arlingtonassociation@hotmail.co.uk.