The first sod was cut yesterdaqy afternoon of Moville’s first ever Community Garden.

The project is a joint effort between local people, the Health Service Executive (HSE), Donegal County Cuncil and the Moville and District Family Resource Centre.

Funded by the Donegal Peace 3 Partnership, It is one of three pilot programmes be run in the county by the  HSE.

The site, owed by Donegal County Council, for the Moville garden is located between St Finian’s Park, O’Gara Villas and Foyleview Crescent.   A group of local residents have worked closely with the HSE and the contractors Highland Landscapes to decide the work required to get the project “off the ground” or more appropriately “on the ground.”

Mary McKinney, of the Moville and District Family Resource Centre, said she hoped the community garden would be the first of a number of similar projects in the town.

She said: “This is building on the work already done in Moville through the Family Resource Centre in terms of healthy living, exercise and cooking.

 On a cold frosty morning it is hard to envisage our community garden in full swing.  The aim is to involve as many of the community as possible as well as groups who are interested in planting and growing in a relaxed and friendly environment.  We hope it will be start of something bigger in Moville, where more sites could be developed and more people from the community can become involved.  As the saying goes ‘mighty oaks from little acorns grow.’  We hope our community garden is the start of something big and green and beautiful in Moville.”

Once the site is cleared, fencing will be erected and work will begin on  making beds laying down paths and the erection of Poly tunnels.

Mary said: “These will help us develop our gardening skills and allow us to grow more exotic plants than would survive outdoors in Moville.  It hopefully will meet another very important need.  We can use the poly tunnel to have our tea.