Five inner-city gardens in Toxteth show off their colours
Gardens nestled behind Georgian homes and back alleys in an inner city area of Liverpool have been opened up to show off their character and colour to the public.The five urban gardens in Toxteth, some of which have been created by local residents, have been made accessible for tours as part of the national Open Gardens annual project.One of the spaces is an alleyway between two derelict homes that was transformed into a winter garden and recently featured on Gardeners' World on BBC2.Others include a private garden behind a Georgian terraced home, and a classically designed Spanish garden at St Philip Neri Church.Organisers said the gardens were a "fascinating group, all within the historic heart of Liverpool".
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Country diary 1905: The hayfield is the scene of one great massacre
The air is heavy with the sweet scent of new mown hay, for everywhere the farmers are taking advantage of the weather. Beneath the teeth of the whirring machine the tall grasses already browned and scorched, go down alongside their enemy, the yellow rattle; rich clovers, yellow lotus, budding knapweeds, thistles, and all are swept to useful death together. The insects hum and buzz above the fallen grass, the swallows and martins skim to and fro, snatching right and left with such rapidity that we do not see them snatch. The many hued caterpillars which were feeding on the grass and weeds, the yellow-green, dark-eyed inhabitants of the frothy cuckoo spit, and many tiny creatures fall and will starve. The hayfield is the scene of one great massacre. Sometimes a brood of young partridges fails to dodge the death-dealing machine, sometimes the corncrake crouches too long, sometimes a foolish young rabbit which had ventured out into the field dare not leave the ever-narrowing circle. It is business for the farmer, pleasure for the amateur haymaker, but it is far otherwise for the creatures, great and small, which lived amongst the rich growing grass. The Guardian's Country diary column first appeared as A country lover's diary on 21 March 1904, becoming A country diary a couple of years later. For most of its first decade, Thomas Coward (bylined TAC), a retired textile bleacher from Cheshire, was the sole diarist.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Peterborough school head teacher wants to buck low literacy trend
The head teacher of a city junior school said he was on a mission to make "lifelong readers" out of his Augustine's Junior School in Peterborough is located in an area where pupil literacy rates were below the national by the Literacy Trust showed just two-thirds of pupils in the city finished primary school at the expected reading level."We really want to buck that trend as much as possible," said headteacher Sam Brunt. The school has pupils from 32 countries of origin with 35 different languages spoken, which Mr Brunt said posed some challenges but also "presents lots of opportunities"."Looking back, I probably had quite a sheltered upbringing, whereas the good thing about our school is we've got loads of opportunities to share different beliefs and different languages," he at the school encouraged reading with an outdoor book bus in the school's garden, which the children are free to use during break also have a dedicated session each day where a teacher reads a story, which deputy head and English lead Jen Brattan said was "a priority"."We host reading cafes where we get as many parents into school as possible to teach them about the importance of reading," she said."It's easy to think you don't need to read with [older] children anymore, and we send that message that no matter what age your child is, they love to sit down and enjoy a book with an adult." Research by the Literacy Trust shows reading for fun enhances young people's academic performance as well as their wellbeing and said just one in five young people aged between five and 18 read for enjoyment, a figure which was a "concerning" all-time wards in Peterborough were deemed to be in the top 10% of wards in the country with the greatest "literacy need", according to the Augustine's has several pupils who act as reading champions by encouraging their peers to get involved in reading for a year six pupil, said: "I like reading because it makes you feel like you're in your own dream that you can control."Emilija, in year five, said: "When you sit down with your book, you feel nice and relaxed," while Ellie, in the same year group, said: "I like reading because it helps me learn new vocabulary, and helps me to go in different worlds." Peterborough City Council said it was working with families and schools to try and tackle low literacy rates, especially in more deprived Cole, the cabinet member for children's services, said: "There is a challenge, which could be working patterns [or] it could be access to books."She said the council was working with schools where literacy levels were lower to come up with an improvement plan and encourage those doing well to share best practice."Teachers are very good at magpie-ing," said Cole, who has been a teacher for 20 years."They see an initiative that works in one school, take it on board, thinking 'how can I implement that in my own setting?'" Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Symbolic tree in Reading used to help recruit foster carers
A tree planted to symbolise keeping children in care rooted in the communities they come from has been decorated with messages from foster parents and young Fostering held an information event at the tree - planted four years ago - in Reading town centre as staff sought to recruit more Capan, who works for the agency, said some children have to be placed outside their hometown because of a lack of foster can foster children from Reading if they have a spare room, are aged over 21 and live within 20 miles of the town. "Due to the lack of fosters carers in the past and even currently, children end up going out of area which we don't want for them," said Ms Capan."We want them to be secure here in Reading so that's what the tree symbolises."Sinead Gibson, who has fostered for nearly 20 years, said she enjoys the difference she can make."I've learned that you can just never predict," she said."You might get a description of the child and the child may have loads of difficulties on paper and then when the child comes to you, you're just a fit and it works." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
