Fears grow for Yalding garden after second closure

FEARS are growing for the future of one of Britain's best known organic gardens after it was forced to close for the second time in two years.

Yalding Organic Gardens, in Benover Road, shut its gates to the public after leaseholder Maro Foods Ltd decided to cut its losses and pull out.

Maro Foods owner Steve Oram, who signed a 15-year lease in April 2008, told the Courier: "We have decided to finish there.

"We have got an existing business and in difficult times you have to prioritise on your business. We decided to prioritise on our existing business rather than that one."

Yalding Parish Council's vice chairman Vivienne Robinson said villagers hoped the popular attraction would reopen soon.

Mrs Robinson said: "The gardens are highly valued by local residents and many visitors who come to Yalding, especially as the land was donated by the much-loved Donald Cooper, a philanthropist ahead of his time. He saw the future of organic farming and gardening years before the rest of us."

The late Mr Cooper and his wife Pixie donated a 10-acre potato field and set up the Congelow Educational Organic Trust to start the project in 1992.

Organic growing charity the Henry Doubleday Research Association – also known as Garden Organic – were appointed to run the site and they planted 12,000 trees and shrubs before it opened to the public in April 1995 in the form of 17 organic display gardens.

After 13 successful years, Garden Organic ended their involvement in 2008 and the site was closed before being leased to local food producer and distributor Maro Foods.

Regular visitor John Tate, from Newbarn, said he believed what was once a wonderful visitor attraction had deteriorated under Maro's management.

Mr Tate said: "It's a place that very many people love for what it is and what it represents.

"I am concerned for what it may become. We have seen it close the first time, get reopened and operated in a way that wasn't really one would have hoped for.

"One feels it was being operated more as a base for Maro Foods with a café tacked onto it."

Arthur Reynolds of site owners the Congelow Trust said a decision had been made to close for the winter and that negotiations with possible candidates to run the gardens were being undertaken.

Mr Reynolds said: "It's closed for the winter. It's a waste of time and money having anybody there manning something that nobody can get to.

"There will be a new operator in place for 2010. The gardens are alive and well and are going to be open again for Easter."