A NEW community garden in the Railway Village is helping refugees to grow roots in Swindon. 

The garden has been started and maintained by members of the Global Gardeners, a club for refugees and asylum seekers living in Swindon.

The project, which is supported by the club's Live Well Team, the Mechanics Institute Trust and the Harbour Project, offers the chance to grow fruit and vegetables while also enjoying the outdoors together.

After a successful first year, the group invited the Royal Horticultural Society to judge its garden for one of its competitions on July 26. 

The group of refugees have been using their respective talents to maintain the garden. 

One of the members of the group, Aman, has a PhD in Plant Protection from the University of Kabul in Afghanistan and has been sharing his expertise with the group to help guide what plants should be planted.

Another member, Manuel, has a talent for construction and has been helping to build and fix parts of the garden with great skill.

The group meets twice a week in the summer and the project has proved to be an amazing place to come together.

Councillor Jim Grant, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for communities and joint working, said: “This is a great scheme that we’re really proud to be involved in.

“The group helps bring together refugees and asylum seekers to form these important communities and make them feel at home in our town. Swindon is a welcoming place and we want to keep it that way.

“It is also such an important way to get people outside, take pride in their local area and engage with the local community.

“I would encourage everyone to take part in these projects for the benefit of, not just themselves, but the town as a whole.”

Swindon provides aid and a safe place to live to thousands of refugees, with local charity The Harbour Project providing support and aid to help them settle here. 

Last year alone there were 9,617 individual attendances at the charity's headquarters for help, classes, or other activities which meant that around 9,000 hours were given by Harbour’s team of volunteers in 2022.

Since the beginning of 2023, The Harbour Project has supported over 1,500 people from 64 different countries, including Iraq, Iran, and Ukraine.