Last year WCC’s Community Safety Project Officers undertook a project to create a calming and peaceful garden for clients of the Blue Sky Centre, the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton.

The Blue Sky Centre is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and provides the initial response for victims of sexual violence in Coventry and Warwickshire. The service is totally free and confidential.

WCC’s Community Safety Project Officers worked with volunteers including other members of the Community Safety & Substance Misuse Team, County Council colleagues, Public Health Warwickshire, Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service and Warwickshire Police to create the Blue Sky Centre garden last year.

A few months have passed since the garden was tended to by the team, so the Project Officers decided to arrange another day of action to pull a few weeds, paint the fence and tidy up.

On Wednesday 21st May the team returned to the Blue Sky Centre bright and early with gardening gloves, forks, spades, paint and brushes.

Luckily one of the team remembered to bring sun lotion as the sun was out and the sky was indeed blue. It wasn’t long before the fence was blue too.

New plants including lavender and hebe were added to the borders and decorative bark was spread between the plants to suppress any weeds.

After a few hours the garden looked really tidy and will ensure it can continue to be used by the Blue Sky Centre’s clients.

It is hoped that developing a colourful open space will help victims of rape and sexual assault feel as comfortable as possible.

For more information visit: www.blueskycentre.org.uk

Email: communitysafety@warwickshire.gov.uk