This week I visited Grow Speke, which has been at the heart of the local community since 2017. Grow Speke sits on the site of what was once the Merseyside Youth Association Boys Club on Ganworth Rd before work began six years ago to clear the site and create a community garden.

Grow Speke is somewhere I always enjoy visiting and I was pleased to speak to some of their volunteers and hand out thank you certificates and gifts in recognition of all the hard work they have put in over summer. The site has been expanded over the years and now has an aviary for bees, several large beds for growing produce and a new outdoor exercise area with various pieces of equipment that I tried out while there. The equipment is free to use and is hoped will help local residents with health, fitness and mobility.

Much of what is produced at Grow Speke ends up being sold at SLH’s Marketplace shop, which provides residents in need with £15 of produce for £3 a week. I will be visiting Marketplace next week to hear about the great work they do there.