VOLUNTEERS led by a former town councillor have set to work restoring a town garden to its former glory after concerns about its overgrown state were raised in the Mercury.
Amen Corner, at the junction of Newgate and The Bank, in Barnard Castle, was originally created in the 1930s.
White roses were planted at the turn of the millennium to commemorate the town’s connection with Richard III.
These were later removed from the garden as part of a wider scheme to revamp the area in front of the parish church and replaced with mainly mixed shrubs which have been left to grow unmaintained.
When the state of Amen Corner was highlighted in an article written by retired teacher Margaret Watson, it prompted action from ex-town councillor Roger Peat.
During his time on the group, Mr Peat organised a team of volunteers, nicknamed the Workers, to carry out various maintenance tasks to the town’s flower beds and green spaces.
Mr Peat said: “The area is a bit of no-man’s-land as it is not registered to anyone.
“Having been in touch with Durham County Council, the town council and the former chairman of the Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership, nobody objects to me getting a few of my workers back in action.”
Mr Peat said the first task was to remove everything currently planted in Amen Corner, put compost on it, leave the area for a while and then introduce controlled planting – including the return of white roses. “We are going to have to put some sort of ground cover on there – not just plant roses,” he added.
Ms Watson said she was delighted that the area would be tidied up and white roses returned.
She thanked all the volunteers for taking the job on.
“It is imperative that Barnard Castle Town Council completes the process of establishing the legal title to this garden, plus the other four – Bridgegate, Park Terrace, Queen Street and that adjacent to Kyle’s Yard at the top of Bede Road,” she added.
