Volunteers from the Mesnes Park Community Garden are displaying the gifts from the 12 Days of Christmas in knitted form in the Mesnes Park Pavilion with kind permission of Fredericks Ice Cream Parlour.

The 12 days display started as a December fundraising activity for the Walled Kitchen Garden at Haigh Woodland Park organised by The Friends of Haigh Walled Kitchen Garden.

The Kitchen Garden is now closed to enable it to be developed, as part of a Heritage Lottery Funded project, to enable the renovation of the bothy buildings together with the construction of a multipurpose activity venue and horticultural greenhouses within the garden, to provide produce for the restored Haigh Hall and to support educational activities.

To enable The Friends of Haigh Walled Kitchen Garden to stay together as a group they have relocated to the allotment within the Council Compound at Mesnes Park and are now known as Mesnes Park Community Garden.

Twelfth Day gift photographed in the Haigh Walled Kitchen Garden

placeholder image — Twelfth Day gift photographed in the Haigh Walled Kitchen Garden

All the gifts have been knitted by volunteers from the group or by Standish Knitters. They will be displayed during December 2024 in the upstairs of Fredericks Ice Cream Parlour at Mesnes Park Pavilion during normal opening hours.

The group is requesting donations be made, electronically only, in aid of Wigan and Leigh Hospice by using either the QR Code displayed with the knitted gifts or by text:

You can donate to the hospice really, really quickly, using your mobile phone

All you need to do is text the amount you want to give to Wigan and Leigh Hospice special donations number.

So, to give £3, you text HSPC01 £3 to the number 70070. Simple! (network charges may apply)

The QR Code will take you to the Just Giving Page:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/mesnes-park-community-garden-1731087594279

The volunteers at Mesnes Park Community Garden are currently bringing the plot back to life, removing a few years of brambles and weeds, constructing new raised beds and other growing areas. The group welcomes applications from adults willing to contribute to a range of tasks: gardening, construction, administration and social media amongst others. If you are able to help in any way the best way to get in touch is to talk to volunteers when they are at the garden or by email to [email protected].

Volunteers are normally in attendance at the garden Mondays and Thursdays 10:00 to 15:00. The garden is located in the council compound at the northern end of Mesnes Park past the playground and the old tennis courts near the Walkden Avenue entrance.