We’re lucky to have two clocks here in Cleveleys so we call one the clock shelter and the other the clock garden – to avoid confusion! January 2024 saw the volunteers out in the cold weather, redesigning the clock garden for the coming year.
Seemingly the clock and surrounding circular garden was installed by the Rotary but details are sketchy about when or why. But it’s an attractive feature at the corner of Victoria Road and Nutter Road. With a wide brick edge it’s also a popular place for people to perch for five minutes.
Back in the Day…
Before the Care for Cleveleys team got going some years ago, the clock garden was looking very lost and unloved. In fact there weren’t any plants in it at all.
Volunteers slowly added seasonal bedding for a bright display and some longer lasting perennials and grasses. Over a few years the plants thickened up and with some care and attention the clock garden started to look blooming lovely!
As the Care for Cleveleys group became more ambitious we talked about redesigning it with a nautical theme, fitting of the seaside location. This would also make it easier to maintain and more drought tolerant as the weather gradually starts to change.
Redesigning the Clock Garden
Sometime in the autumn of 2022 the clock at the centre of the garden stopped. It seemed to be connected to a power failure/fire in the pavement. The pavement was dug up several times, wires mended and numerous attempts made to fix the clock. This went on for some months with no obvious cause/fix to be seen!
Eventually it was decided to dig the soil out of the garden in order to install a brick man-hole as a space for a power supply. This meant taking up about half of the plants – and with awful timing it was the week before In Bloom judging!
However it did make the decision to do the redesign sooner rather than later.
A Cold January Day
It was a cold, but dry and still Wednesday 10 January when volunteers gathered at 8.30am in the town centre to begin the job.
Any remaining plants had previously been removed and safely stored in a volunteers garden. So the first job was installing the posts and groynes rescued by our pals Balfour Beatty during the Wyre Beach Management Project. They also donated some chippings of rock, created during delivery of the huge boulders.
With the structure in place the planting could begin. Plants came out of storage, along with some new ones bought during winter sales and others donated by the public.
Finally, old rope and nautical decorations were positioned – and screwed into place!
Spring’s around the corner
By the end of February 2024 the garden is already starting to look more settled in. Spring crocus and snowdrops are flowering and the perennials are beginning to grow.
Catenary wires installed for winter lights have been left in place to support bunting and art installations throughout the year.
Everyone Welcome to help with Cleveleys In Bloom 2024!
Volunteers, and interested people are invited to follow what we do (and join in) on our Care for Cleveleys Facebook page. We post photos there of every activity, including events and meetings for people to join in. It’s great fun and a good way to get out and about and make new friends. Why don’t you join in and give it a go!
Support the Cleveleys In Bloom Raffle
Thanks go to Wyre Council who provide an annual grant to the town to support our In Bloom entry. It makes a big difference to what we’re able to do.
But everything costs such a lot of money and it’s nowhere near enough for the plans that we’ve got!
So the Care for Cleveleys team run various fundraising projects throughout the year including the In Bloom Spring Raffle. All proceeds go to making Cleveleys look lovely.
Thankyou
The intention is for Cleveleys to keep blooming! We want it to continue as an attractive destination for visitors as well as being a wonderful place to live.
The more people who join in the more that can be achieved.
We’d particularly like to thank all of the local businesses and individuals who are really embracing the spirit of Care for Cleveleys. It’s encouraging to see so many helping out and really helps to encourage volunteers to do more.