By Jill Stocks
Horsforth In Bloom volunteers have been busy again on New Road Side over the past two weeks as the project to improve the area continues.
Last week four planters were built and placed outside Slow Rise/Thai Go Bistro, Leeds Women’s Aid/Co-op Funeral Directors and Hoc Loco. And yesterday they were joined by three more at Stocked, ArtK/Time and Tide Barbers and Zero Muda.
And local businesses are thrilled at the prospect of the planters bringing another splash of colour when they are filled and begin to flower and bloom over the next few months.
Nerys Hudson from Stocked, who represents Horsforth Town Team, said: “I think this has been a great example of the council and Horsforth In Bloom working together with local businesses to bring a bit of extra life to New Road Side. I think it’s often interpreted as just a thoroughfare into Horsforth and my feeling is the planters are going to bring some extra colour and life to the area.”
“I think it’s really important that high streets become places that people want to spend time in and I think that these planters, although it’s a small step, are such important steps for making sure that those things happen.”
Ali Pyner, manager at Zero Muda, said they were excited to see the project taking shape: “We’ve always been supportive of adding more plants and greenery to New Road Side, so it’s great to finally see the planters in place. They make the area more welcoming.
“Hopefully it will encourage people to slow down, have a look around and spend a bit more time at local businesses.”
Nick Simpson is the owner at Slow Rise Bakery where one of the planters was placed last week. He told us: “I think they’re great. They’re a good upgrade from the previous ones that they had which I think were just getting a little bit old. They were nice when they were around and I think these are a really solid upgrade.”
“Should make a nice continuation across the street really as you’re walking up and down it. I feel like these are good staging posts for both having a stop and a look at the nice plants in there but hopefully it’ll be good for nature as well for insects and bees.”
Anna Bragger, retail manager at Leeds Women’s Aid on New Road Side, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the Horsforth in Bloom initiative in replacing a lot of the planters on New Road Side. They’re a great new addition and we look forward to the flowers blooming soon.”
Yesterday the Horsforth In Bloom volunteers Shanet Alexander and Cheryl Pawley were joined by local carpenter Ben Tomlinson to help construct the planters: “It’s fantastic to be involved. When I got asked, because of the trades that I do, kitchens, bathrooms, carpentry, when they said ‘can you make us a few planters?’ I thought that was fairly easy and then I got told they were these things that look like tanks, but we need to see them and they need the help so I thought yeah I’ll do a few. And then got quite addicted!”
Penny Pinn, from Horsforth In Bloom, told us about the project and how it has been funded and who has been involved: “The planters are being built as part of a project involving Horsforth In Bloom, Horsforth Town Council, Horsforth Town Team and with the support of local businesses.
“The planters are part of a programme of replacing old ones, funded through business sponsorship and also a MICE grant from Cllr Ray Jones.”
Cllr Emmie Bromley (Lab, Horsforth) is the lead on the New Road Side project. She told us: “Really pleased to be able to fund this from the Outer North West and Nerys (Hudson) is representing the Town Team for the application so this has been able to be funded and we’re now seeing them come together, come to life and actually have seating and planting.
“It’ll be interactive for the community and there’s going to be further discussion about how we can get local groups involved. I’m really excited to see the next step.”
Last month sustainable knitted hanging baskets, made as part of a community project involving individuals and organisations across the town, were put up on New Road Side as part of the project which provide a more sustainable alternative to the traditional hanging baskets that used to adorn the area.
The colourful decorative baskets were all made involving the wider community, with many individuals and local organisations knitting, crocheting and crafting the flowers, and have proved very popular with people in the local area.
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