Leyland church receives £1,000 donation from leading homes developer for garden project

Barratt Homes has donated the money to Midge Hall Methodist Church in Leyland as a contribution towards its Peace Garden. The garden has been beautifully crafted with blossoming beds of colourful flowers, newly planted tree saplings, carved wooden features and benches for church-goers and local residents to sit and enjoy the tranquillity of the area. The donation was made through the developer’s Legacy initiative, which aims to support local community projects and organisations throughout the areas in which it builds.

Leigh Naylor, Trusts and Grants Fundraiser at Midge Hall Church, said: “The Peace Garden came about when we were looking for space to remember loved ones by planting something. As we had a huge field alongside the church it seemed an ideal space to do this, and so the Peace Garden idea was born.

“Barratt Homes has been great to work with and I hope we will be able to keep in touch with the development behind the church and continue to grow great links with the new residents.

"Our next project is to make raised beds for a community vegetable plot. With the financial crisis as it is, we hope to help those in need in our local community.”

The Peace Garden was supported by numerous organisations, including Barratt Homes, The Woodland Trust and South Ribble Borough Council, with a hand-carved plaque being unveiled by the Mayor of South Ribble Councillor David Howarth.

The church first opened for worship in 1867, with the chapel consisting of just a single room before works began in 1996 to create extensions. As well as the addition of more modern facilities, an entrance hall and a vestry office, the latest project to be created is the Peace Garden.