Our community

Crantock Street Community Garden is a wonderful asset for Newquay's Town Centre and one of the few communal 'green spaces' available for use by the public and visitors.

I have supported the group of volunteers who have run this project for a number of years and have funded several projects and assets such as their Community Noticeboard, Big Lunch community events and others via Community Chest Funding.

Despite the work that the dedicated group undertake year-round to maintain and improve the garden, there is little more they can do as the large proportion of the land is concrete and slabs and can't be developed any further without groundworks. In order to improve the space, make it more inviting and a safer place for people in the community to use, it requires significant investment.

Once the project is complete, I have no doubt that the area will thrive, the volunteers' time can be spent more productively maintaining a properly designed and developed garden and organising more events to promote community cohesion.

I have confidence in the group, their Chair Anna Jay and their Project Manager, Kim Parish as previous projects and funding that they have led on have been well managed and the end results have been outstanding.

This project aligns with the purpose and aims of CIL funding, and I wholeheartedly support the Community Garden.

I first became involved with the garden through conversations with a new neighbour when we moved into the street. As it turned out, that neighbour was Anna, the project lead, and it was a great way to discover what was happening locally. 

What I enjoy most about volunteering is the sense of purpose it brings. It feels good to be part of something wholesome, to contribute to the community and to meet people from all walks of life. The garden has absolutely helped me feel more connected locally. It has given me the opportunity to meet people from surrounding areas whom I might never otherwise have crossed paths with, and it’s been rewarding to see people come together around a shared project. 

One of my favourite memories is helping to remove an old tree and then managing to replant it in a neighbour’s garden. It was a satisfying example of how something positive can come out of a bit of hard work and teamwork. Looking ahead, I’m most excited about seeing the garden develop into a welcoming community space that everyone can use and enjoy.

It’s great to be part of something that has the potential to bring people together for years to come.

As a local resident and chief reporter for the Newquay voice newspaper I'm fully supportive of the Crantock Street Community Garden.

The garden is really important to the Newquay community. I always see lots of people sat in there chatting and the Big Lunch events are hugely popular.

Although the space has been improved in recent years by the dedicated community group it could really do with a proper makeover, and I have no doubt it will become an even more popular space.

The raised beds and planting scheme that are proposed look really good.

The Newquay voice has extensively written about the plans to improve the garden, and the articles have been really popular.

Our ‘chartbeat’ system which demonstrates the readership number shows this also.

I think the local community would really benefit from the garden being improved and I think it would lift community spirits.

The Crantock Street Garden was an area which Newquay in Bloom identified as needing attention around 10 years ago.

When the council added some bollards to stop cars parking on the hard standing, we started to improve the area and add some new planting to make the area more attractive for people to spend time sitting in. As a result, we were delighted when Anna and a group of local residents got involved and were keen to carry this forward.

In the last 8 years they have maintained the planting and enhanced the area with murals and art work and run events involving the local community.

The project has been entered as an 'It’s Your Neighbourhood' in the RHS South West in Bloom Competition since 2017 achieving a high standard and in 2023 was adjudged to have achieved 'Outstanding' level.

We are excited by the plans they have developed to improve this area for the benefit of local residents.

Community gardens and groups are part of the microbiome of our communities, that is to say they are fundamental to thriving neighbourhoods and communities. They foster social and human connection, encourage physical activity, improve mental and physical wellbeing, create an interest in growing and gardening and increase biodiversity.

Crantock Street Garden is truly a community space that deserves resources to enable the improvement of the space so that more members of the local community can enjoy it. From their regular volunteering days to annual Big Lunches events and street parties, the garden brings the local community together and makes a huge difference not only to the people who enjoy it, also visitors and local wildlife.

As a 100% volunteer-led garden it is a model for others to follow and as an organisation that exists to connect, support and promote the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in Cornwall and the Isle of Scilly, I fully support their application.

I attended the Crantock Street Community Garden open day in June with my friend, Barbara, and we had a wonderful time. The community spirit was tangible! I am moving into Newquay in the near future and would cherish the idea of being able to visit Crantock Street Garden, a chance to get to know the neighbours, which is somewhat lost in this day and age. I think this project to regenerate the garden will further encourage the community spirit, all thanks to Anna and the team.