Halesowen Abbey Trust applied to the PEBBLE grant in 2016-17 and was successfully awarded £4,000 towards the creation of a wildflower meadow and a pond.

The Trust purchased the Leasowes Walled Garden in November 2014 and dedicated it to the public. The Walled Garden is a Grade 1-listed Garden and was the Walled Kitchen Garden for the Leasowes Estate. The garden had been in a state of neglect for several decades and the Trust is working to restore the gardens, prioritising nature conservation and public education.

The project team worked closely with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and The Friends of the Leasowes and with the support of the PEBBLE grant was able to create a wildflower meadow and a pond.

The project consisted of 30 volunteers initially clearing the neglected land, which took six weeks to clear. The group then employed contractors to help them clear the rubble, strip back the topsoil, and create the pond and meadow before reapplying the topsoil in a way which gives the landscape a natural appearance.

Photo of the pond being created and the completed pond. (Photos by kind permission of Halesowen Abbey Trust.)