PACT Greening Penrith

Greening Penrith

PACT has been working with the Vitality of Penrith (VoP) and local traders to green Penrith - see photos of the installed planters below. (Read about our separate St Andrews Churchyard renovation project.)

Information on the Tree Donation Scheme on the Eden District Council website.

June 2014: Responsibility for the planters has passed to the Penrith Partnership.

Planter near the Memorial The PACT Greening of Penrith and Garden of Eden projects received two trophies and these accolades at the Cumbria in Bloom awards in September 2012:

  • Eden trophy for the Most Improved in Year
  • NMP Trophy of the Best Large Town in Cumbria

Judges' comments as follows

"This group acting under the umbrella of PACT have begun the transformation of the Penrith streetscape and set a benchmark for the impact a community can have on its environment. The large aesthetic planters house not bedding plants but mini woodlands, with silver birch, shrubs and herbaceous perennials."

"The community garden at Watson terrace shows real innovation with edible crops, herbs and fruit trees."

The NMP award recognises the totality of the town's achievement, planting around the new stores, hanging baskets etc but the following comments relate to our efforts:

"At the conclusion of the tour of the town it was apparent that Penrith had really upped its game. The Greening Group have vision and creativity and the quality and sustainability of the greenscaping of the town is creating a legacy of which the residents can be proud and an opportunity to be involved in an exciting project."

"Tremendous progress has been made in a very short period of time in transforming the centre of Penrith."

Arthur Street kids with the Cumbria in Bloom trophies

Penrith winner of Eden Trophy for most improved town at Cumbria in Bloom 2012 Penrith winner of NMP Trophy at Cumbria in Bloom 2012

 

At the December 2010 Community Conference, organised by the VoP, many people listed their most important community challenge as the greening of Penrith.

There is a long established Penrith in Bloom initiative whereby local traders purchase hanging baskets and window boxes to improve their frontage and make the town more welcoming to residents and visitors. However PACT, in conjunction with a small group of volunteers is seeking to raise funding to take forward four specific initiatives to "Green Penrith":

  • Place flower boxes at all of the town entrances to welcome people into the town.
  • Extend the existing Penrith in Bloom initiative with a view to placing hanging baskets on all lamp posts in the centre of the town.
  • Develop a style of planter which can be placed in key locations around town. The aim would be to get a high quality, consistent set of products which will add value to the town in the long term. These will be planted with trees, bushes and flowers.
  • Encourage community groups to take responsibility for maintaining some key flower beds in the centre of town.

To date (July 2012) over £20,000 has been raised to take forward this initiative. The Council has given just over £10,000 to kick start this initiative with the balance being raised from grant funders and local businesses.

The planters, built by Richardsons and Sons, have been planted up by Larch Cottage Nurseries with a range of plants, details below which will provide all year interest.

Local firms have recently been approach to seek sponsorship for the planters. The very positive response has meant that all the planters are now sponsored and this funding allows PACT to insure the planters and under take on-going maintenance. It also allows the plants to be refreshed and bulbs planted for spring interest.

It has been agreed that any surplus funds will be reinvested to take forward other parts of the vision as detailed below.

A detailed budget showing income and expenditure is listed as an attachment at the bottom of the page.

(Please also see our Garden of Eden pages.)

Links

Planter in Penrith Burrowgate

Planter in Penrith Little Dockray

Penrith planter notice

 

Plants in Planters in Town

 

Trees

Betula utilis var jacquemontii multi stem

Sorbus Salmon Queen

Underplanting

Aucuba Japonica Sulphurea Marginata

Berberis Thun Aurea

Berberis Thun f atropururea Helmond Pillar

Callicarpa Bodinieri Profusion

Clematis Forget Me Not

Clematis Ice Crystal

Clematis Liberation

Clematis Rosa Konigskind

Cornus alba Wintersun

Cornus Amomum

Cornus Stolonifera Flaviramea

Corylus maxima Rode Zellernoot (Red Filbert)

Diascia Little Drifter

Euonymus jap Bravo

Euonymus jap Microphyllus Aureovar

Euonymus japonica Pierrolino

Gaultheria Shallon

Gaultheria x wisleyensis Pink Pixie

Geranium Rozanne (Jolly Bee)

Hebe Ochracea

Helleborus Orientails Harvington Apricot

Helleborus Orientails Harvington Double Apricot

Helleborus Orientails Harvington Double Chocolate

Helleborus torquatus Party Dress from Apricot parent

Heuchera Edens Mystery

Hydrangea quercifolia Ice Crystal

Ilex crenata Fastigiata

Ledum gronlandicum Helma

Leucothoe Font Rainbow

Leucothoe fontanesiana Carniella

Leucothoe fontanesiana Whitewater

Ligustrum Jap Rotundifolium

Lonicera crassifolia Little Honey

Lysimachia Ciliata Firecracker AGM

Oleria Macrodonta

Osmanthus heterophyllus Variegatus

Phormium Tenex Purpureum

Photinia Little Red Robin

Photinia X Fraseri Red Robin

Pieris Jap Little Heath AGM

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