Carrum: council grant and NDIS support group The Perpetual People Co open all abilities community garden

Find out how you can score a vital grant to help boost the work of your local community group.

The Perpetual People are opening an all abilities garden alongside the NDIS in Carrum, all thanks to a grant from the Frankston council. Image: supplied.

An all abilities garden is set to open in Melbourne’s southeast, with the help of local businesses and a grant from Frankston Council.

Cultivating a space where people of all abilities can work together and build their own community through a shared love of gardening, NDIS support provider The Perpetual People Co have joined forces with The Beach Bar to bring the all abilities garden to life.

Set to open on March 25 at 611 Nepean Highway, the gardens have already created a “real sense of community”, according to the managing director of The Perpetual People, Carlos Swinton.

“The gardens have Aboriginal art by local artist and proud Bunurong man Adam Magennis,” he said.

“We’ve also had contributions from Carrum Primary School. Grade three and four students have painted flower pots that adorn the fence line and give the place a real pop.”

Giving NDIS participants a place to express themselves through nature, those taking part have already taken to the garden.

“Our current participants are working in the garden on a weekly basis,” Mr Swinton said.

“They’ve already built an arbour, grown colourful flowers, planted a native garden and created “lizards corner” — a rock garden with colourful illustrations of blue tongue lizards.”

Mr Swinton said The Perpetual People Co were excited to open the all abilities garden.

“We are extremely grateful to the Invest Frankston team who have supported us with this grant,” he said.

“The garden presents a real opportunity to embrace an inclusive culture. We are excited to be able to welcome anyone from all walks of life and to support them to become active in the community and to be sustainable in the process.”

An Invest Frankston spokesman said they were happy to contribute to the community garden’s creation.

“We are glad our business grant can help business projects grow in more ways than one,” they said.

“We want to congratulate The Perpetual People Co for completing this fantastic project.”

If you’d like to find out more information on the all abilities garden, follow this link.

The garden will be opened to the public on Saturday March 25, at 611 Nepean Highway, Carrum at 1.45pm.

If you’d like to attend, please RSVP to [e-mail].

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