The Walled Garden Workshop CIC leases 5 acres of steeply sloping horticultural land at Littlebredy village in Dorset, including a one-acre Walled Garden and some ancillary agricultural buildings in various states of usability or decay. This area is the former 'productive ground' of an old landed Estate, these grounds being left unmanaged in the decades after the second world war due to the poor profitability of commercial operations on the steep, restricted site. The CIC is gradually bringing the area back into a use compatible with 21st century social needs. The landowners were in the process of selling the entire Estate, including the CIC’s holding, so once again we received legal Notice To Quit papers. An extension was negotiated until February 2026 so occupancy continued normally for now. During the seventeenth year in operation, the CIC has benefitted the community by providing local people with volunteering opportunities related to horticultural and gardening activities in a peaceful, traffic-free environment with access to wildlife in the reserved areas. The ‘Mill Barn’ which we rebuilt on the holding has become popular as a village meetingplace, after the old village hall became unusable. It has welcomed a private family party, a meeting of the Fleet Study Group, rehearsal sessions and a social from the Ridgeway Singers choir, the Village Harvest Lunch, Christmas Wreath-making and other village events. Volunteer activities included plant propagation, vegetable and flower growing, grass cutting, weeding, maintenance of flower borders, hedge cutting and shrub pruning. Removal of weed blockage from the River Bride stream which flows through the garden is an ongoing task. The new sunken garden flooded to a metre deep after the main village spine drain blocked through root inursion, so once again we had the pipe cleared by a contractor. The damaged car park then required resurfacing, which we completed. The Walled Gardens were opened to the public for a small entrance fee for two afternoons a week from mid-April to mid-September. This helped with fund-raising by supplying refreshments and selling plants to the visitors. A local couple hired the Gardens to use during their anniversary picnic celebrations. The Bothenhampton WI staged an afternoon visit with refreshments, as did the Dorset Perennial Group. Flowers were provided from the Gardens for the village Church from time to time and fruits were displayed for harvest festival. The annual village ‘Duck Race’ was held on Boxing Day, where numbered toy ducks were released upstream and retrieved when they floated into the part of the River Bride that flows through the Walled Gardens. Refreshments were provided in the Barn.

The stakeholders are the local village residents and the wider community, involving anyone with an interest in the opportunities presented by the horticultural site and its environs. The CIC is 'opportunity-based' rather than 'service-based'. Volunteers propose to carry out activities according to their likes and abilities. The overall direction and methods are moderated by the CIC. Volunteers become stakeholders, and may back up their suggestions and proposals with their own actions. The CIC offers free support and framework guidance.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration