New Longton garden transformed into wildlife haven opens to visitors
What was once a football lawn for their son is now a flourishing wildlife sanctuary.
A New Longton couple who transformed their former family lawn into a thriving wildlife haven complete with a pond, newts, dragonflies and dozens of breeding frogs are opening their garden to the public for the first time this June.
Karen and Stephen Brooke, who have lived at their Chapel Lane home for more than 35 years, spent the past four years redesigning the garden after retiring.
What was once a space for their son to play football has become a biodiverse sanctuary packed with wildlife and hundreds of plants.
The garden, which is taking part in the National Garden Scheme for the first time, features a large wildlife pond with a bog garden, raised produce beds, a wide herbaceous border for pollinators, seating areas and a summerhouse.
Stephen said: “We created the pond area and I was surprised by how quickly it started filling up with such a variety of insects. Last year, the pond hosted 40 mating pairs of frogs, lots of newts, damselflies, dragonflies, butterflies and bees. The biodiversity is just amazing.”
The couple said they never expected their efforts to have such a dramatic impact on local wildlife.
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Karen said: “Together we have created this little oasis in New Longton. It’s been a real joy to see it develop and it really has exceeded our expectations. It’s amazing to see how even a small change can make a big difference to wildlife.
“The garden changes throughout the seasons and it’s fascinating to watch the colours change. It is just so lovely to sit here first thing in the morning and hear the birds sing.”
The National Garden Scheme gives visitors access to more than 3,300 private gardens across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, raising money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cakes.
Karen and Stephen, who have previously visited a number of National Garden Scheme gardens, said they are excited to welcome visitors to their own.
Karen said: “We are delighted to be able to share our garden with lots of people. We don’t know the Latin names of all the plants or every insect crawling around, but we do know how much joy the garden brings us and we are delighted to share it.”
As well as supporting the National Garden Scheme, the couple will be selling tea, coffee and cake to raise money for Horatio’s Garden, a charity that creates and nurtures accessible gardens within NHS spinal injury centres.
Karen said: “We’ve seen their amazing work when my nephew was a patient and have no hesitation in wanting to support them.”
Stephen added: “The admission fee will go to the National Garden Scheme, which is a really great organisation. It supports lots of charity and community gardens, as well as gardens that promote mental health and wellbeing, including those in hospital and hospice grounds.”
Visitors can explore the garden at 319 Chapel Lane, New Longton, on Friday 5 June from 2pm to 7pm and Sunday 7 June from 11am to 5pm.
Admission is £5 for adults, with free entry for children. Refreshments will be available for a charitable donation. For more information, visit ngs.org.uk.