Calton is a great community with a rough reputation. It is known by the slogan ‘hard lives, early deaths’ because at one point the average male died at the age of 56. This is slowly improving but there is still a lot more we can do.

Calton Heritage & Learning Centre has been trying to challenge the negative perceptions of Calton, to improve its reputation so that local people can feel better about the area where they live and contribute to its improvement. We know that access to green space has massive benefits on people’s physical and mental health and that well cared for green spaces make our environment look and feel better.

Elcho Gardens lies in the heart of Calton. It is a beautiful but neglected space with loads of potential. We have been working with local volunteers to establish a community garden and play area. We have already secured onsite storage, a water pipe, gardening equipment, outdoor play equipment and funding to carry out events and consultations.

We have removed needles from the site and removed moss and debris so that the existing bike trail can once again be used by kids. We hope to build on this work by  delivering workshops, supporting volunteers and schools to create a thriving community garden and work with families and young people to deliver family days with the expertise of a community gardener.

Elcho Gardens has amazing potential and with the right resources it will help us to create a gorgeous garden and play area that will bring people together. We are also hoping that the vegetables grown at the garden can be used to provide free monthly community meals in our centre so that families see the real rewards of working together for their own community.

Our vision is to transform Elcho Gardens in to an area that will be a pleasure to see and used by the whole community. If we can create a community garden then more people will come together, work together and socialise with each other. We will create a gorgeous, productive, welcoming space that will give people the opportunity to give back to their community and help each other.

Donation Level

We’ve listed some suggested donations but if the exact amount you wish to donate is not listed on this page then please visit the Donate to a park page, choose Park Fund and then type a message starting with "Elcho Gardens" in the Why did you want to support this park/city fund? field.

TEXT donation

You can now donate to the Elcho Gardens growing & playing project  by TEXT. Just text the project code (CALT51) plus an amount to 70070 – for example: 'CALT51 £5' to donate £5. You can donate £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10. If you wish to Gift Aid your donation please REPLY to the Gift Aid text.

Further Information

Calton Heritage & Learning Centre - website | Facebook Page