A NEW games area could be built at a community garden in Southampton

The committee at Ropewalk Community Garden, on Derby Road, in St Mary’s hope to create a tarmac space for children to play games such as badminton, tennis, volleyball and basketball.

The grounds, which offers greenfingered residents the chance to try their hand at gardening, was awarded a £20,000 grant from Southampton City Council.

The cash will now pave the way to create the games area, as well as a three-metre mesh fence and access gate surrounding it.

Jane Shoebridge, chair of the committee, said space will also be used by school children from nearby Fitrah Sips, which doesn’t have a playground for the youngsters to play sports in.

She said: “It’s taken a year-and-a-half but finally the application is in and we’ll get the permission to start building.

“We want to open the space out for other games that you don’t see being played as much.

“Who knows we might have a budding England player who hasn’t had the chance to play the sport.

“There aren’t many facilities around in St Marys but we want to open up the garden to even more people.

“In the future we’re hoping to also get a refreshment area and toilet at the garden.”

People come from across Southampton to help maintain the garden, as well as sit and enjoy the flowers.

It is open between Monday and Friday from 9am until 5pm.

The gardens gives people the chance to gain skills that they can use in the garden and take home to grow more of their own fruit and veg.

This includes local families who don’t have much of a back garden, university students and other Southampton residents who want to get growing but don’t know how.

The city council is currently reviewing the application and a decision will be made shortly.