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Youth council begins garden work for community

Tom Jackson,in Cottenhamand
Aimee Dexter
News imageTom Jackson/BBC Daniel and Lyra are standing next to each other on a small patch of grass which is surrounded by houses. Daniel is standing on the left and has short brown hair, and is wearing black-framed glasses and a navy waterproof coat. Lyra is standing next to him on the right and has short brown hair, and is wearing a black T-shirt.Tom Jackson/BBC
Lyra, 11, and Daniel, 12, are both members of Cottenham Youth Council

A youth council has started to build a sensory garden for a community as part of its first project.

The group in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, began working on the garden on the corner of Broad Lane and the High Street last week.

The scheme was funded by a grant from Cottenham Parish Council, which runs the youth council, and the Community Reach Fund by Cambridgeshire County Council.

Daniel, 12, who is one of the youth council members, said: "I think it is a nice place for people to come and have an unpressured environment to relax and see, hear and smell."

News imageTom Jackson/BBC On the left are raised flower beds which are made from wood. Children are standing on the soil and are holding spades. There are people in the background watching.Tom Jackson/BBC

The council meets twice a month and is created and run by young people.

Lyra, 11, said the group had worked "really hard" on the idea and were "really proud of ourselves".

"This garden is for everyone in the village to have a place to come and unwind after a busy day," she explained.

"I think everyone wants to make an impact, so it is great that Cottenham Parish Council has allowed us to do this.

"What I really want is one flower called the chocolate cosmos, and it smells chocolate."

News imageTom Jackson/BBC Anne Miller has short blonde curly hair. She is wearing light grey framed glasses, a blue and white striped jumper and a white jacket. Behind Miller is blurred, but there are several people congregating on a field.Tom Jackson/BBC
Anne Miller said the project was "a really good synthesis of what Cottenham can do"

Anne Miller, a long-term resident and member of the parish council, said: "Right in the heart of our very community, we have a bunch of youngsters who really want the best for their community.

"They have lots of ways they can contribute and draw people from all sorts of other walks of life here."

She said the project was "a really good synthesis of what Cottenham can do at its best".

News imageTom Jackson/BBC Lisa Burton is standing on the left of the frame on a small patch of grass which is surrounded by houses. Burton has brown hair in a low ponytail and is wearing black-framed glasses and a dark grey T-shirt. There are several people standing in the background and are blurred.Tom Jackson/BBC
Lisa Burton is a councillor at the parish council

Lisa Burton, another councillor at the authority, said: "We all just felt it was very important that the youth of this village had a voice... and they have made such a brilliant difference."

The parish council said the project could take several months to be completed to allow for the plants to grow.

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