The Friends of Glen Goyle, who are working to restore the Victorian park near Manor Road, have been presented with high-visibility tabards by Sidmouth Town Council.
The group was set up 18 months ago as a project of the Vision Group for Sidmouth to look after the neglected ‘secret garden’, and held its first working session in July.
The gardeners are volunteers, guided and advised by East Devon District Council’s horticultural officer Paul Fealey.
Their project to restore Glen Goyle has impressed Sidmouth Town Council, which gave them a grant to pay for their new jackets, and Cllr Ian Barlow, chair of the environment committee, attended one of their sessions last month to hand them over.
He said: “The council is proud to support the VGS and Friends of Glen Goyle, helping them to deliver improvements for our town and community.”
Glen Goyle is set around a small brook just above the Royal Glen Hotel. It contains many beautiful plants and trees, but fell into neglect over the years, and is overgrown with brambles and ivy.
As well as clearing the undergrowth, the Friends of Glen Goyle are planting new trees and shrubs there.
One of their first plantings was a Crinodendron hookerianum, or Chilean Lantern Tree, suggested last year by Ed Dolphin, of the Sidmouth Arboretum and Sid Valley Biodiversity Group.
Ed said: “I thought it would be perfect for the Goyle for three reasons: its beautiful flowers are great for bees, it is suited to the setting, and it is a Veitch original” - referring to one of the great Victorian plant collectors.
The Chilean Lantern Tree is also the Friends of Glen Goyle’s logo, and features on the group’s new high-vis tabards. The vests also feature the town council and district council logos in recognition of their support and engagement.
The Friends meet at Glen Goyle every Thursday morning from 10am to 12.30 at the entrance on Manor Road. Paul is happy to give training to the volunteers, while members of his own council team tackle the more inaccessible areas.
For more information – and if you'd like to get involved – go to the website at https://glengoyle.vgsidmouth.co.uk/ Or contact the VGS Secretary at sec@visionforsidmouth.org
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