Back in 2019, the parish council decided to convert the current petanque pit to a tranquil garden area. Due to all of the impact from HS2 on our area we decided to ask HS2 if they would be prepared to give something back to our community. They agreed and designers were sent out and shared two design options. This was shared with the commuinity at a parish council meeting in 2019 and it was agreed we would go with the above plan. Work was due to start in September 2019 but unfortunately we were let down at the last minute. The pandemic hit in 2020 and the parish council continued to pursue this work.

After help from our MP, Greg Smith we have now been able to move things forwards and HS2 has agreed to start work soon. The idea is the garden will be a tranquil area for reflection and remembrance. We have also asked that the children's painted stone catapillar be incorporated into the edging of the garden to provide a poignant reminder of the pandemic challenges we all faced during 2020 and 2021.

Although we had hoped to use the benches made from HS2 felled oak trees as a statement in the garden, due to the condition of the benches, we will look to deploy them elsewhere and provide more traditional hardwood benches instead. We will communicate when work will commence once we know the schedule, but it is hoped that the work will be completed this year.