Darlington Blog from South Terrace: August 2014

It started life as a crazy idea.

When Councillor Paul Harman proposed that we turn a scrap of land below a billboard into a garden, we looked at him with disbelief. The plot was next to one of Darlington's busiest roads, is north facing, and shielded from the sun by a huge poster, had never been cultivated and was full of couch grass and weeds.

But Paul Harman is both imaginative and persuasive, and he would not take 'no' for an answer. So, in early Spring, the journey to make Britain's Smallest Park commenced.

In the early stages of the project, it was not known who owned the plot. Most enquiries received rather hurried denials. A letter to J C Decaux however produced an encouraging response from their surveyor Harry Read in Chapel Street, London. Yes, they owned both billboard and site, and certainly we could negotiate a licence for a community garden.

Permission granted, our next task was to mobilise our local community. Amanda Llewellyn agreed to head the team and we set about arranging our three key dates, 'The Big Dig', 'The Big Plant', and the 'Open Day'. Key to this was the active support of the South Terrace Residents Group. To this band we added Darlington Friends of the Earth, led by garden designers Kendra Ullyart and Matthew Snedker, and the little known Darlington Guerilla Gardeners - a clandestine, after night-fall group of planters and seeders.

The last question was what to name the park? Paul Harman slipped back from the task, telling us that this had to be a community decision, but that 'Harman Park' was certainly not on the agenda. Victoria Park was suggested, but met with yawning silence. Things changed when a small voice from the back of the room uttered the words, "what about Gerald Lee Pocket Park after the Litter Tsar?" A buzz went round the room and the discussion closed with this inspired choice.

The rest of our planning has ascended into folk history. As the community transformed the plot, Darlington awoke to new developments and even controversy. Litchfield council remained tight-lipped as their smallest park in Britain - Prince's Park - lost it's mantel.

So here are the photos of the Open Day. Our heartfelt thanks go to the residents who have given so much time and perspiration, Friends of the Earth for their support and guidance, JJ Blair & Sons (Covered Market) and Sainsburys Super Store for donating plants, Woodburn Nursery for huge support, including infrastructure and plants, Peter Plant, Matthew Snedker and Kendra Ullyart for technical advice and days of hard work. On the day, our thanks to Cockerton Vintage Brass Band who played beautifully, CPT Accountants and Business Advisers - and of course The Worshipful, the Mayor of Darlington Gerald Lee and Mrs Ruth Lee who acted as our inspiration for the project.