Volunteer Dianne Keetch tells why the Peace Garden is a joy for many
The Peace Garden at Minsteracres is enjoyed by many, not solely the Let’s Get Growing team.
It seems to offer great solace, we see people arrive hunched and worn than as they breath in the sweet air and luxuriate in the sights and sounds of nature, they visibly relax and unwind.
The meditation area is warm and still. It soothes the troubled soul with scent from fragrant plants and the delicious twitter of the birds.
The lily pond offers repose whilst your eyes alight upon water creatures and you admire the water lilies. The children’s area is a reminder to adults to make time to play and be joyful.
Many are attracted to the vegetable garden and fruit trees, that gloriously give of their abundance in the summer.
Thoughts of renewal and re-growth inevitably spring to mind when we see the seedlings springing up and developing into mouth watering produce.
The peace garden also provides we gardeners with a renewal of energy and regrowth in mind and body.
Minsteracres complements other famous Peace Gardens. The Tibetan Peace Garden in London is a place of contemplation where you can enjoy peace and tranquility. It acts as a reminder of the Tibetan struggle and is a place of inspiration and delight.
The Friars Peace Garden in Aylesford is a sanctuary which aims to alleviate stress and provide warmth and vibrancy. The visitors there are encouraged to rest and ‘to be’.
The Peace Gardens in Sheffield were created in 1938 to mark the signing of the Munich agreement and are an example of many gardens created between the two world wars.
I have visited the International Peace Gardens. They were built on the border of Canada and the USA in 1932. There is an inscription on a cairn that reads; ‘To God in his Glory, we two nations dedicate this garden and pledge ourselves that as long as men shall live we will not take up arms against one another.’
Whatever the purpose of the Peace Garden for whatever reason it was created, you know it welcomes you and enfolds you in its arms. Minsteracres’ Peace Garden is a safe haven for us, it gives us time and space to be who we are and the opportunity to be with people who care.