Arlington Square is an award winning example of how communal gardening can bring neighbours together, forge friendships and create a beautiful community space. Ten years ago this public square, laid out by the council in the 1950s, was unkempt and neglected. The perimeter borders were dry and compacted, the rose beds dying. The Arlington Association decided to renovate the square and reclaim it as a place of peace and beauty. The association’s volunteer gardeners meet every month to work in the garden and, under the watchful eye of horticulturist Paul Thompson-Mcarthur, have replenished the beds and borders with over 100 tonnes of compost and planted more than 50,000 bulbs, flowering plants, shrubs and trees. The rose beds have been rejuvenated and the borders now burst with notable camellias, magnolias, azaleas, rhododendrons and shade-loving woodland plants and bulbs. a much-loved Community Garden with raised beds of fruit trees, roses and flowers replaced a former rubbish dump. The square is rated as outstanding by the Royal Horticultural Society, a Gold Medal winner in London in Bloom and was voted two years running as one of the nation’s top ten parks by Keep Britain Tidy. The gardens are a peaceful haven, full of colour all year round.