Phoenix Garden

The Phoenix Community Garden is managed by the Covent Garden Open Spaces Association and is the last of the gardens in the Covent Garden area originally sited on old bomb sites. This garden is located behind the Phoenix Theatre and has been in existence for 15 years with an annual grant from the London Borough of Camden, which virtually covers the wages of a part-time gardener. Peter Arnold, our present gardener, is very enthusiastic and enjoys the work he does.

We had an 'Under 8 Play Project' last July for the whole day, finishing up with a bonfire and barbecue. Men at the local building site donated sand for the Play Pit, which is kept covered when supervision is unavailable.

Towards the end of the year we had our Bonfire Night and Halloween celebrations. Just before Christmas, Soho Primary School kindly gave us a Carol Singing evening and we arranged the refreshments of hot food and drinks.

Our first event this year was the Easter Fun Day on Bank Holiday Monday, when we had games for the children and an Easter Egg Treasure Hunt. On this occasion, Boots the Chemist in Charing Cross Road, Sainsbury's in Tottenham Court Road and Borders, the book store, were most generous in donating towards our refreshments and Raffle prizes.

Last year, we had a new stage and we now have cover for it in bad weather. We have also covered the rear and sides of the stage and this has meant we have a type of sheltered greenhouse, with many seeds coming on. We anticipate improving the pond area as soon as possible. The local Police arranged for us to have a new full-size Table Tennis table with the necessary bats and balls, much enjoyed by the children.

We hope to continue improving the Garden, which is open all day for residents and people working in the area. However, our improvements cost money and we sincerely hope local businesses and residents will become Friends of the Garden and subscribe to our efforts.

Frankie Besser

 

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