The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo and Minister for Youth, Steven Linares visited Plater Youth Club today in order to inaugurate the Urban Garden Project.

This project emerged from an initiative from the young people in the club and work commenced in April. Due to a recent increase in the arts and craft activities offered by the club and in line with the governments ‘Green Gibraltar’, its members requested the ability to participate in a larger outdoor project, deciding upon the theme of an urban garden.

The six-month journey has involved the active participation of all members and staff with the necessary materials either being donated by local businesses or recycled resources such as packing crates.

The garden provides opportunities for young people to engage in both the creation of the garden and subsequently in the planting and cultivating of plants and vegetables in the garden, so far producing peppers, basil, mint, rosemary, strawberries, cucumbers and tomatoes.

The project provided a good opportunity to marry the aims of the governments green Gibraltar initiative with the natural curiosity of the club’s members and allow them to learn about and take responsibility for the cultivation cycle of various plants and vegetables.

The Youth Service said it was grateful to receive donations for the building of the urban garden from GJBS, Interbuild, Gibral Flora, Loreto Convent, Alameda Gardens and Greenarc.

The Youth Service would like to take the opportunity to express extra thanks to Shawna Jones from Alameda Gardens and Youth Service staff Liam McCarthy, Karim Gracia and Stuart Santos who have gone above and beyond in developing this outdoor space in collaboration with the youth group at Plater Youth Club.

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: “I really enjoyed my visit to the Plater Youth Club and meeting the young people and the youth officers there. That is my ‘neck of the woods’ as I was brought up in the Moorish Castle and Calpe area, and my heart is there. It was a real pleasure to see the work that has been done in the youth club, especially during the pandemic. It was great to see the fruits of the Urban Garden that our young people had nurtured, with some magnificent specimens of peppers, tomatoes and some lovely, pungent herbs. I use the youth club for my ‘on location’ clinics in the area and I look forward to some fresh mint tea when I am back up at Moorish Castle in coming weeks.”