Lancashire Backyard Project 2006

Lancashire County Council and Myerscough College, in partnership with Elevate East Lancashire launched a Lancashire Backyard Design Competition back in November 2005.

There are approximately 160,000 terraced houses with backyards in Lancashire which equates to 388 hectares of open space; a considerable underused spatial resource in terms of environmental regeneration within urban areas.  The aim of the projects Team is to harness this potential by inspiring the people of Lancashire to explore creative and sustainable uses for these yards and encourage residents to contribute to the regeneration of their neighbourhoods.

To help in this project budding Garden Designers from Myerscough College were invited to submit designs for a typical back yard space of 6m x 4m. The winning garden would be constructed and displayed at the royal Lancashire Agricultural Show along with other examples of other environmental initiatives. The aim was to show how a relatively small space can support a range of features that enhance biodiversity and sustainability, helping to improve the wider local environment.

The design by Alison Culshaw was selected as the winner, with Andy’s ‘Inside Out’ garden as a runner up, collecting a prize of £125.  Both gardens focused primarily on how to produce food in small areas and still be able to use the garden as a place to entertain, relax and play.  The designs included elements such as :

• Wildlife habitat
• Sustainability
• Recycling
• Composting
• Water conservation and re-use
• Storage

Andy receiving his cheque from Lancashire County Councillor Jean Battle at the award ceremony held at The Globe Centre, Accrington on the 14th March, 2006.
Photo copyright Lancashire County Council