Autumn gardening brings enjoyment and a feeling of belonging to Whitfield Gardens

By News Reporters

A morning of bulb planting in one of Fitzrovia’s most well-used parks has been hailed as a huge success. Around 700 bulbs were supplied to the Friends of the Open Spaces of Fitzrovia by Camden Council to plant in Whitfield Gardens on Tottenham Court Road. The event was part of a series of Autumn gardening days across the London Borough of Camden.

The planting which took place on Saturday 5 November was attended by about 30 adults and children who shared the digging of bulb plots to create a display of colour for next spring. Gary Sollof, secretary of the Friends group, led the activity.

“We all had a lot of fun and are looking forward to when the bulbs bloom in the spring. It was also very good exercise. It’s great to be out in the open doing a bit of work. But more importantly it all helped in building a feeling of belonging to the park and caring for it,” said Gary.

A spokesperson from Camden Council said it was “one of the most successful events we’ve had in the borough. It’s been a fantastic turnout from the people of Fitzrovia and we’re very pleased.” Camden supplied bulbs including Snow Drops and Anemone.

The Friends group meet on a regular basis to work with Camden Council to help improve Whitfield Gardens, Crabtree Fields and The Warren. All the open spaces run along either side of Whitfield Street.

Open spaces in the neighbourhood are in short supply and they are heavily used by not just residents but also the thousands of workers and visitors that come to Fitzrovia every day. A group of residents and businesses are currently working with Camden Council to identify potential new open spaces in the neighbourhood to take the pressure off the existing ones as part of an Area Action Plan for Fitzrovia.

Whitfield Gardens has recently been refurbished by Camden Council and there are also plans to restore the Fitzrovia Mural which is central feature of the gardens.

If you want to find out more about the Friends group or keep up to date with events in Fitzrovia, please contact Fitzrovia News and we can keep you informed.

Video: Gary takes a break to talk to Fitzrovia News about what bulbs are being planted.