COLUMN by Stroud’s deputy mayor Louisa Stinton.
A bright and (almost!) warm spring day on April 2 saw families and children gather in Park Gardens to celebrate the opening of a new sensory play garden.
The area was developed by Stroud Town Council, with guidance from Allsorts Gloucestershire and funding from Enovert Community Trust.
The idea of the garden was to create a calm and inclusive play space for children that may encounter barriers to play elsewhere in the park.
It was great to chat with some of the wonderful members of Allsorts, to learn how having an area like this will make such a positive difference to children’s experience of play and support more families to feel welcome.
The children were really engaged with the play equipment straight away, which was lovely to see.
A simple but brilliant game of pressing modelling clay into the wooden shapes to make patterns was especially popular.
The planting was another highlight, with children rolling up their sleeves to help plant some of the sensory plants, chosen to stimulate touch, smell, movement and sound.
STC’s horticulture ranger, Lawrie, was keen for the children to get directly involved in shaping how the garden will grow and evolve over time.
There were plenty of other fun activities going on during the day, including blackboard drawing, giant bubbles, parachute games and a nature trail created by talented students from Stroud College – something for everyone.
The sensory garden is a brilliant example of a project that enhances the landscape by providing an inclusive space for all and that will benefit generations of Stroud residents to come.
Huge thanks to Allsorts for organising the event and everyone involved in making this such a success.
With warmer weather on the way, hopefully many more families will be able to enjoy this space.
More information can be found at the Allsorts Gloucestershire website.
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