A GARDEN group says it plans to use its success to encourage others to start community gardens having enjoyed a strong start to life.

From its early begins of plant boxes with herbs around Llanfyllin town, Brace’s Community Garden Group combined with Llanfyllin Town Council to look for a more permanent space for a garden to grow food.

The group was offered the previously-unused space behind the town’s public institute to create a community growing hub, which helped save the cost to the institute of having it strimmed each year.

Within a year the group won £2,500 from the National Garden Scheme, which helped develop the garden, and now it is considering how to grow again.

Sue Dolman founding member of the Community Garden Group and BRACE said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have got this far, but there is still much to do. Our future plans are to encourage further Community Gardens, through advice, and possibly becoming a centre for training.

“We are also proud to be hosted by the only public owned building in Llanfyllin. The institute have been incredibly supportive, I feel that we owe them a big thank you.”

Initial aims were to get the site under control, start making compost and start designing the space to contain a mix of raised beds for ‘main crop’ cultivation and for propagation of perennials herbs and fruit trees and bushes.

Now, the garden is on its way to be a focal point for the community and is paying its own rent back to the institute instead of being a cost.

The group now invites visitors to swap plants and tips every Tuesday and has started having a stall at the town’s Thursday Market.