A CHESTER-BASED charity is celebrating after its new sensory garden was officially opened.

Save The Family, based on the outskirts of the city in Cotton Edmunds, welcomed scores of VIPs and dignitaries for the official opening of the new facility, which has been made possible through local businesses putting in hundreds of hours of effort.

Once unused scrubland, the garden is now a collection of plants and materials with different textures, shapes, colours, scents and heights. The plants and materials are laid out in such a way as to stimulate our senses, seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and sometimes even tasting.

It has been designed to encourage positive risk taking where children, young people and adults at the charity can learn key personal development skills, like co-operation, building confidence and trust enabling residents to create meaningful relationships and positive memories.

The area will also be used as an environmental educational tool. The seating will serve as an outdoor classroom where knowledge of the natural world can be built. The resource will also be open to local schools when arranged.

The garden has been built with the help of staff and volunteers who have dedicated over 350 hours of their free time.

Corporate volunteers who helped in all weathers included The Conservation Trust, Lloyds Banking Group and Marks and Spencer, while the project has been funded with the kind help of Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank Foundation – Spirit of the community awards; the One Stop – Carriers for Causes scheme and Tesco - Bags of help.

Those in attendance on the day included Lord Lieutenant David Briggs, who helped cut the ribbon with one of the residents Sophie, Lord Mayor of Chester councillor Alex Black, Mayor of Ellesmere Port councillor Karen Shore and Canon Jane Brooke of Chester Cathedral.

  • Save The Family will also have a Christmas concert and supper night to kick off the festive season at Cotton Hall on Friday, December 7, from 6.30pm.

The event will include an oddballs studio, children from Save The Family and other selected singers. Admission is £5 donation at the door.