The community garden at Turton Tower “The Kitchen Garden” was restored and continues to be run by our team of volunteers who have raised all the money for this through donations, events, plant sales and by applying for a small number of grants. In one corner of the garden is the ruin of this two-storey gardeners’ Bothy. It was built in the late 1800s but is now a ruin with some dangerously unstable stonework, requiring it, with a surrounding area of the garden to be fenced off.

Thanks to all your generous donations to our Just Giving page plus others who have given directly to us we have been able to start the work of making the Bothy structurally safe. This work is following the surveyor's structural report that we commissioned. A local company with heritage building skills are rebuilding walls where this is needed; are replacing some very weak wooden lintels with matching stone and are well on with lime mortar pointing of the ruin. It is starting to look amazing. (See picture above)

Because of the money raised so far, we have now reduced our funding target to £4,000, which will cover the materials needed to erect (by our volunteers) new rabbit-proof fencing around the outside and for the creation of the new garden areas around the building. This means creating new paths, a pond, an entrance arch and information boards; preparing beds outside and within the Bothy to be ready for planting in the spring - and of course purchasing many interesting plants..

In and around the Bothy we will create a sensory garden, focussing on plants recommended for wildlife and year-round interest, including some medicinal plants. We will create a wildlife pond with natural planting and a seating area for visitors that overlooks the historic Turton Tower. Within the ruin, stone raised beds will be made for colourful scented plants. Entry to the Bothy and its garden from the wider Kitchen Garden will be through a feature arch with climbing roses. This will link with new accessible paths leading through the Bothy Garden and inside the Bothy where the history of the bothy will be explained.