A new community garden has been created in Hunts Cross – which will be the home to Union the Penguin!
The garden is on the site of the former mobile library in Speke Road, opposite the rail station. It has not been in use for a year and was locked to the public.
Councillors for Allerton and Hunts Cross have invested funds to refurbish the site, paint railings and benches and provide plants for tubs and barrier rails to improve the area as the green space is seen as central to the heart of this community.
It will also have a penguin sculpture, one of the 200 from the Go Penguin public art event. The penguin was formerly on the site of the former New Heys School.
During the summer local artist Alan Murray worked with the communities from St Columba’s and St Hilda’s churches to decorate it with a mosaic design. This work was again funded by local councillors along with a Community Grant of £500 from Liverpool Mutual Homes.
And a Name the Penguin competition was won by nine-year-old Rachel Evans who chose the name ‘Union’ because “the Community Garden is a place we’re everyone is welcome and can be together.”
“Union” was unveiled and the garden officially opened by the Lord Mayor Councillor Gary Millar recently when residents helped plant up the tubs and barrier rails and local businesses and church groups provided refreshments. Rotters Community Composting made bird feeders with the children, while Hunts Cross Children’s Centre provided face painting and crafts.
Food was collected for South Liverpool’s Foodbank with a generous donation from Hunts Cross Co-operative Supermarket
The garden will be opened up daily by local businesses and maintenance of the flowers will be undertaken by residents.
Local councillor Rachael O’Byrne, said; “I am delighted that we as local councillors have been able to invest in green spaces in Allerton and Hunts Cross, and as result we now have a beautiful garden for the whole community to use.”
Pictured; Cllr O’Byrne, the Lord Mayor and Rachel Evans at the unveiling of Union the penguin
