Caldmore Community Garden in Walsall, part of Caldmore Village Festival Limited,  has had its lease extended for another 15 years by Walsall Council so it can extend its community work as a space for all.  

    Councillor Adrian Andrew said:   "We`re pleased to continue our support and very grateful and appreciative of the important service it provides to the community especially in its work with volunteers, schools, nurseries, fostering agencies and home-schooling parents.  Extending this lease helps them continue their work to bring diverse communities together and help promote sustainability, environmental responsibility, health and wellbeing and community participation and volunteering. "  

  Caldmore Community Garden was created in 2011 after a group of volunteers from Caldmore Village Festival Group approached Walsall Housing Group and Walsall Council with the idea of transforming a derelict piece of land in the middle of Caldmore into a space for all.  It obtained a lease in 2016 for the former school caretaker`s house and started refurbishment work on what is now Caldmore Community House.  

    Caldmore Community Gardens has hosted community meetings, workshops, classes, children`s activities and holiday play schemes.  Last year the Garden was visited more than 25,000 times and was awarded the prestigious Green Flag community award plus a RHS It`s Your Neighbourhood Award.  

  Councillor Adrian Andrew said:   As a Council we work with many community and voluntary associations both in the medium and longer term.  We want to continue supporting these much-needed community services and it`s something reflected in our recently re-launched network of Walsall Connected hubs bringing customer services directly to the community."  

  Caldmore Community Gardens is run by 2 full time members of staff, 3 part time project delivery workers plus more than 50 regular volunteers.  It receives funding from the National Lottery Community Fund (Reaching Communities), Tudor Trust, Children in Need, People`s Health Trust Active Communities Fund and West Midlands Combined Authority Green Grants Programme.  

  Mohammed Arif, Chair of Caldmore Village Festival Board, said:   "We are delighted and overjoyed with the lease extension and it will help us in our long term planning and help us attract longer term funding in the future.  This garden is a green space for everyone to enjoy and it`s open nearly every day of the year.  It`s where everyone has the chance to contribute and realise their potential, a green space for joy, learning and play and a meeting place of people of all cultures, ages, abilities and backgrounds".