Neighbours create 'carpet of colour' with wildflower meadow

Chris Hartley and his neighbour dedicated an “hour here and there” over the course of the past few months to radically transform the patch into a beautiful meadow of wildflowers.

The patch is situated near the Oak Gables Partnership GP surgery and bungalows of older residents.

Mr Hartley said he felt driven to do up the place after it had become overgrown and left as a space for litter and waste.

He said: “It has been a mess for years.

The patch of land was overgrown with leaves and rubbish.

“I thought it would have got done as part of the Oldham clean-up (scheme) but they never came.

“It was very overgrown so I decided it needed to be done.

“I was just trying to make the place look better for everyone”.

The site had become a dumping ground for litter with an old garage floor and a baby seat amongst other waste being left there, which the neighbours cleared away.

Mr Hartley said he continually filled his own bin up with weeds and bits from the site every week but is pleased with the outcome.

The place is now brimming with wildflowers and wildlife. Photo by Lynn Hague.

He spent less than £20 on the project for the bulbs and the seeds.

Mr Hartley added: “Every time I walk past it, there are more flowers and I’ve seen more butterflies over the last couple of weeks than I’ve seen in years.

“I feel very happy about it.

“It's put a smile on mine and the neighbours' faces when it started to bloom, so worth every minute of it.

“It’s really brightened the place up”.

The new meadow has been a hit with local neighbours. The place is now brimming with wildflowers and wildlife. Photo by Lynn Hague.

Mr Hartley was helped by a neighbour, Nicola Leigh, and her son and brother-in-law who were able to bring a digger in to shift the larger items of rubbish.

Ms Leigh said Mr Hartley had done the most of the work planting the flowers but that her family helped to get the ground prepared.

She said: "There was a lot to clean up and move, which Chris did mostly himself.

"There were deep roots of overgrown weeds we needed to tackle but then once that was done, Chris got to work planting."

Together the trio cleared the wasteland of rubbish. Photo by Nicola Leigh.

Ms Leigh said the final result is 'amazing'.

"I open my little boy's bedroom curtains and see a carpet of colour now.

"It's made a huge difference, not only to me but also to the elderly people in the bungalows", she added.

Another local resident, Lynn Hague, noticed the team effort and praised the results as a ‘random act of kindness.'

Ms Hague said: “It’s nice to see someone doing something so nice and so community-spirited.”

She praised Mr Hartley online in a shout-out for his hard work.

“He has single-handedly cleared a patch of wasteland at the back of the health centre car park and has sown a wildflower meadow.

“They are beginning to bloom and they look fabulous.

“Thank you for your kindness”, she added.

Councillor Jean Stretton, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “It’s great to see residents taking ownership to improve their communities.

“While we aren’t aware of any approach to our Environmental Services regarding this piece of land, we would like to thank them for their efforts and our team are happy to discuss this area with them to see how we can support further.

“Our hugely popular Don’t Trash Oldham campaign has helped clear up more than 3,200 streets and alleys alongside more than 230 tonnes of waste since September last year.

“While this programme is focused on the upkeep of our streets and alleys, requests can always be made to your local district office for support on new initiatives with the help of your local councillors.”