West College Scotland helps to make Branchton garden grow

The centre has teamed up once again with West College Scotland to run an allotment gardening course led by lecturer Gary Rankin.

On the back of this they now have a growing gardening club who are helping cultivate both the community and the garden.

The produce is used in Branchton to help stock their food store which is shared out with residents.

Gary said: "We are delighted to be back in Branchton and you can see the difference it is making. I have been running courses here now for two years.

"We have this garden with a lot happening in a small area and we have another open space which is a wild meadow that we are looking at.

"It is great because the students who sign up go come back and they are also part of a gardening club now.

"We have such a great turn out today."

The community garden is part of a wider network sharing produce across Inverclyde as well as helping to sustain many of the projects within the centre.

Among the new students to take up the opportunity of learning more is Carole Murray, aged 55, from Midton Gourock.

She said: "I love gardening and I am really wanted to find out about what to grow in an allotment."

On hand to help out is Iris Askill, from Wemyss Bay, came along to some of the earlier courses, stayed on and has stayed on as a volunteer.

She now comes along once a week to the gardening club and says the benefits are huge.

The 59-year-old added: "It is a brilliant community garden and I have met lots of new people. I think it is so important to encourage people to take an interest in gardening.

"I have completed the last couple of courses and I wanted to sign up for this as well."

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To find out more about courses and groups running at Branchton Community Centre call them on 638481.