A VILLAGE war memorial garden is now protected with a new set of gates thanks to a group of committed volunteers.
The gates and fencing at Darfield Memorial Garden, on Church Street, are the culmination of work by Darfield Environment Group (DEG) who secured funding from EDF Energy.
The energy firm runs a community benefits fund through which groups in the vicinity of its Park Spring wind farm, in Grimethorpe, can apply for grants towards projects that improve the local area.
The garden lies within Darfield’s conservation area, and group secretary and treasurer Chris Needham said it was important the new structures fit into their surroundings.
DEG chairman Lee Parkinson - who set the group up in 2018 - came up with the idea, and member Coun Dorothy Coates was responsible for acquiring the funding.
“The miners’ welfare scheme created this memorial garden as a tribute to the service people who died during the Second World War,” he said.
“In honour of the miners’ welfare, DEG have incorporated their name within the gates.
“The pandemic slowed us down, but we have been back up and running as normal in the last six months or so.
“It seems that only bad news stories come out of Darfield these days - residents describe Darfield as Barnsley’s forgotten place.
“So, we hope that the work on the memorial garden will lift residents’ spirits.”
