Press release: Green guerillas swoop on neglected city flowerbed

Today (Sunday 28 November) members of Winchester Green Party and other local residents took over a civic flowerbed in a dramatic ‘guerilla gardening’ coup.

They planted up the flowerbed on the corner of Hyde Street and Worthy Lane with hundreds of daffodils and crocuses which they donated themselves.

The flowerbed (owned by Hampshire County Council) had been neglected for many years and was a mass of nettles. Local residents had tried to draw attention to its plight, without results.

Braving today’s icy temperature, volunteers got out spades, forks and trowels, cleared the nettles, picked litter, and created what will be a splash of colour along one of the main approach roads to Winchester.

‘Winchester Green Party is delighted to have made this gateway point into town more welcoming’, says Alison Craig. ‘We want everyone to enjoy the flowers in the springtime.

‘We’d love to inspire a craze for guerilla gardening in Winchester. If anyone has suggestions of other civic flowerbeds that are suffering from neglect, please let us know.

‘Come along to one of our monthly meetings at the Hyde Tavern – first Wednesday of the month, 7.30pm.'