Reg was the Station Master at Farnborough North on the North Downs Line for many years and lived in the house adjacent to the line and level crossing. On his death he bequeathed his large garden to his children and now the Farnborough Street Residents Association have set up a group to look after it.
Mike Knott produced a series of plans for the garden before lockdown, galvanising a number of local volunteers to help him out. Sadly Covid-19 blocked the path……
However, Mike and friends working mostly on an individual basis kept the project going, converting pallets from local builders merchant, Gibbs & Dandy, into planters and picket fencing. They have successfully installed a couple of 1m planters outside the gate to the garden and crafted enough fencing to separate the community garden from the community food farm area. 40 pallets remain ready to be dismantled and re-used with lots more over at Gibbs & Dandy.
From June 1 to 15 the volunteers clocked up nearly 1 hundred hours of effort, a fantastic achievement. This week the group, assisted by David Daniels (Community Rail Line Office) and Daniel Wright (Community Rail Network), decided on a banner to be sited on the station to point the way to Reg’s Garden.
Much remains to be done but local support has been fantastic, especially the artwork from the local 6th Form College and Gibbs & Dandy. Many of the planters have already been sponsored though there’s still scope for more, volunteers are continually coming forward and work continues in a safe, socially-distanced fashion.
