Derbyshire charity's appeal as gardening session cancelled following vandal attack

By Wiktoria Wrzyszcz
Published 2nd Feb 2023, 15:02 BST
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A charity which host horticultural and craft activities to promote wellbeing, is appealing for help after they were forced to cancel gardening session following a vandalism attack.

Grow Outside was forced to cancel its Grow Together session and monthly Eco Eats last week following an attack at their garden at Butterley.

In the early evening of Monday, February 2023, vandals came onto the Midland Railway site at Butterley causing a large amount of damage, including trashing the garden.

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Water containers were damaged and emptied. Plant shelving and pots were overturned and plants and seedlings were uprooted. They also pulled down security lights and smashed the glass in the greenhouse making the site unsafe. The yurt door was kicked in and the inside ransacked, with the furniture and contents upturned and thrown about.

Grow Outside, a local charity hosting horticultural and craft activities to promote wellbeing, was forced to cancel its Grow Together session and monthly Eco Eats last week following an attack at their garden at Butterley.Grow Outside, a local charity hosting horticultural and craft activities to promote wellbeing, was forced to cancel its Grow Together session and monthly Eco Eats last week following an attack at their garden at Butterley.
Grow Outside, a local charity hosting horticultural and craft activities to promote wellbeing, was forced to cancel its Grow Together session and monthly Eco Eats last week following an attack at their garden at Butterley.

A spokesperson for Grow Together said: “There is a significant financial cost to the damage done, but we’re more hurt that someone would enter locked premises and cause the wanton destruction of a community project led by volunteers and people working to improve the local environment for local people. Many hours of hard work have been undone.

“However, we will not be stopped! Instead we ask our community to come together and help make us stronger. Our fantastic volunteers have banded together this week to help clean up and make the site usable again, but now we’re looking to rebuild - this is where you can help!

"We’re not just seeking money to pay for the damage as we want to use this opportunity to build our community. Instead, we invite everyone to join us in the garden for a series of events this spring, Ticket costs will help our fundraising, and in return we hope to entertain and show our local community how special the Grow Outside garden is. We will rebuild and continue with our plans to develop the project.”

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Sessions will run between March and June and are available to book via Eventbrite or via [email protected].

Anybody who wants to donate or can't attend sessions, can donate through the crowdfunding link.

Grow Together will also host an open day on March 11 between 11am and 3pm. It will be an opportunity to hear about the plans for the coming year and relax in the garden.