OWD Martha’s Yard is the only community garden in Hoyland which is open to anyone to go and enjoy its beauty and peacefulness.
The yard, which is behind the Belmont WMC on West Street in Hoyland, is non-profit and maintained purely on the generosity of volunteers within the community.
Donations towards the garden have been made from The Big Lottery, Tesco Bags for Help, The Postcode Local Trust, Green People Change the World, Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estates and a Crowdfunding appeal.
All of the money that has been donated has gone towards the maintenance of Owd Martha’s Yard and things like the construction of two water harvesting systems, the building of an eco greenhouse, the provision of three picnic benches, a stone paved footpath and many other things to make the garden a delight.
The whole idea of the garden is to provide a place where people can go to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Regular gardening session are held, usually every Thursday morning, where anyone can come and help keep the garden looking great.
There’s a number of different jobs from weeding, watering, general tidying up, planting and most things horticultural related.
A number of different events are also held to raise funds, including Easter, summer and Christmas fairs, May Day galas, picnics and Hallowe’en dress-ups.
The next event in November will be a remembrance of the end of the First World War.
There will be a musician from the Rockingham Brass Band who will sound the last post, a beacon will be lit that will join in a chain of others that are being lit around the country, entertainment from a Vera Lynn-style vocalist called Jayne Darling as well as other various fund-raising activities.
The idea of a community garden was thought of by Charlotte Oughton and Alison Richardson.
To get the yard up and running back in 2015 the pair approached Belmont Working Men’s Club to rent the half an acre land that sits behind the club and then asked a few people to attend a meeting held at Hoyland Centre about the community garden.
From then on, a 12-strong committee was formed.
