Jubilee Sensory Garden celebrates £1,650 of National Lottery Funding
Photo of National Lottery Cheque Presentation with Mayor of Thatcham Cllr Mark Lillycrop and Gardener, Polly Pereia
The Jubilee Sensory Garden is a community garden located at the front of the Thatcham Town Council Offices and has recently been a recipient of £1,650 from the National Lottery Community Fund, thanks to National Lottery players. The money will support the re-establishment of monthly coffee mornings in the garden, as well as activities for children during Summer 2027.
The Jubilee Sensory Garden opened in 2023 and has since blossomed into a vibrant community space with a small team of volunteer gardeners who are supported by a lead gardener who tends to the garden year-round. In recent months, the garden has hosted a Dementia Friendly Garden Party, been a hub for activities during the launch of the Heritage Scavenger Hunt, hosted an Open Garden Session to mark Big Green Week 2026, Tai Chi classes, and a stories and rhymes session with Thatcham Library.
This funding allows Thatcham Town Council to re-launch the popular monthly garden coffee mornings for a 12-month period starting Friday 4th September 2026 and then running every first Friday of the month 10:00am-12:00pm. These coffee mornings provide an opportunity for members of the community to come together to meet new people, share gardening expertise, learn new gardening skills, and reconnect with nature in a tranquil space. A variety of activities tailored to the garden’s seasonal needs will be on offer at these sessions such as seed collecting, plant propagation, trimming and weeding, and much more! An indoor wet weather option will also be available to ensure the sessions can still go ahead with alternative gardening related activities on offer.
In addition to the monthly coffee mornings, the funding will establish a programme of six weekly sessions for up to 10 children and their families over the 2027 summer holidays. These sessions will involve opportunities for children to learn basic gardening skills, grow their confidence, and connect to nature and their local environment through interactive activities. These sessions will be advertised ahead of the 2027 Summer Holidays.
If you are interested in finding out more about either of these sessions, please contact us via enquiries@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk or by calling 01635 863592.