Cool pool garden gets backing

THE garden is growing at Golden Square Pool, thanks to a grant from a social media giant.

The Facebook Australia Groups Funds donated $10,000 from a pot of $500,000 nationwide designed to support groups who are supporting communities affected by bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Admin of Friends of Golden Square Pool Facebook group Barbara Lomas said the money will go towards developing the pool’s community garden.

“Since we’ve had the garden, we’ve wanted to make it a bit more formalised and to tidy up the area where it is,” Ms Lomas said.

“We were looking at a way we could fix it up, but it takes money, and this will allow us to get a landscaper, so we won’t have to rely entirely on voluntary labour.

“We’ve had the garden for about two years, one of our volunteer helpers thought the top corner at the pool would be an ideal spot and a good way to get people involved.”

The garden is used regularly buy patrons and volunteers looking to get their hands on some fresh produce.

“If you’re having a barbecue down at the pool on a Saturday night in the summer then you just might go over and grab a bit of lettuce, bit of parsley, few tomatoes off the cherry tomato bush,” Ms Lomas said.

The garden has also produced a batch of potatoes that were harvested by Bendigo Foodshare, and Ms Lomas said the connection with the community is what drives the pool.

“We are the community,” she said. “We like to call ourselves the beating heart of Golden Square.”

“It’s only because the community cared about the pool that it’s still there.

“We try to be much more than the pool, we’re a community hub.”