How it all started

Ploughlands Community Gardens Project was started in June 2009 by Yan Cofield, Lee Hatfield and Edna Grant. It's started in many way's because we were all feeling very sad & depressed, Lee and Yan's business had to stop trading due to lack of trade, mounting debts & illness, and Edna 'n' Stan had lost a close friend and neighbour who lived above them who's name was "Joan". The project was started on the green space communal area in front of our homes, which was no more than a grass land with some old fruit and holly trees. (see 2009 google earth picure below). The first thing we started was the reclaimed brick pathway, which we started outside Edna's window view were Joan also use to lived in the maisonette above Edan & Stan, before Joan had sadly passed away. Knowing that Edna & Stan were very saddened about their dear friend & neighbour (Joan) passing away, we (Yan & Lee) felt it woud be a good idea to make a brick pathway in memory of Joan. We therefore, put the idea to Edna and Stan if we (Yan & Lee) would make the pathway but we suggested that Edna lay the first righthand brick. Hence, Edna & Stan, Yan & Lee laid the first brick in memory of Joan. By the time we had finished the pathway, we had lost another longterm neighbour Vic Champion aged 97yrs old, the plaque of stone which reads "The kiss of the sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth, One is nearer God's (heart) in a garden, Than anywhere else on earth". We laid this plaque under white wooden acheway by the front gate way, hence, this was laid in memory of Vic Champion as it came from his little front garden patch by his front door were he use to live next door to us (Yan & Lee).