Bayfair community comes together for local garden

Jo Stock is pleased to have community support behind her. Photo/ Andrew Warner

The future of the Bayfair Community Garden seems a lot brighter despite the grey skies hanging over Gloucester Rd this morning.

Jo Stock is showing us around the place and pointing out some new additions to the gardens since the last time we visited in March.

A large green shipping container was dropped off this morning, which will be used for storage and an office space, and $2000 worth of timber is stacked up ready to replace the old wood around the raised garden beds.

Both the container, donated by SEA Containers NZ, and the timber, paid for by ITM and the Mount Maunganui Lions Club, will help the garden continue to support the local community.

Every Tuesday volunteers of the garden fill banana boxes which are given to the Tauranga Community Foodbank, last year more than 500 boxes were given to those in need.

"I'm just so blown away, we can't believe it," Stock says.

The last time the Bay of Plenty Times visited was in March when Stock received a letter from the Tauranga City Council advising her of a proposed land use fee.

Stock says she was flooded with offers to pay the proposed $314 fee before the council admitted sending the letter to the gardens was an error.

Since then, the future of the gardens are looking a lot more positive and a group of volunteers and donors gathered at the garden on Saturday morning to celebrate the garden's 24th birthday.

"It really shows the community coming in to help us."

The old garden shed
-Jo would like to give away the old gardening shed if you're interested contact Jo at the Hillier Centre on 5759709