A volunteer at the Salvation Army church hall and community centre in Keighley has turned a disused yard into a thriving garden that placed second in the Best Yard category in Keighley in Bloom.
Matthew Towers, 39, spent the last year developing the garden after Major Imogen Stewart, the local Salvation Army leader, invited him to take ownership of the outdoor space.
From Rehab to Horticulture
Matthew came to the charity after completing rehab and taking part in The Victory Programme, the church's cookery class. He was volunteering at the foodbank when he was approached about running the garden.
"When I came from rehab, I thought to myself, 'I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this on my own,'" Matthew said. "As soon as I got offered this, I was like, 'You know what? I'm sound now. That's me. I'm good.'"
Matthew has experienced homelessness and now uses his role to share knowledge with others in similar circumstances.
Growing Without Experience
Despite having no prior gardening experience, Matthew has repurposed the yard to grow potatoes, peppers and cucamelons—a cucumber-melon hybrid plant that produces fruit the size of grapes.
He uses unconventional containers for his plants, including an old baby bath for potatoes and a welly boot for a pepper plant. The produce grown goes towards the café and foodbank, helping to reduce costs.
"I've got some more cucumbers in here, but these are for salads," Matthew explained. "So, on a Wednesday for the asylum seekers' lunch, we put them in the salads."
Expansion and Recognition
Matthew has recently started making and selling jams, chutneys and sweet chilli sauce, with proceeds going back into maintaining the garden.
The garden's success surprised even the Keighley in Bloom judges. "I couldn't believe it, to be fair. I was quite shocked, but they were shocked as well because they came down expecting it to be a few tomato plants and then when they came out here, they were like, look at this."
Matthew has also begun working with an allotment the size of two tennis courts, which has already been equipped with a polytunnel. The allotment has been rented to the charity by Keighley Council as part of a wider eco-community initiative.
Matthew has recently been diagnosed with ADHD, which he says has helped him channel his passion for gardening. "I'm watching gardening videos at 3 o'clock in the morning while everyone's sleeping. I can't switch off, that's the problem I have, and I've just recently been diagnosed with ADHD, so to me, it's pretty much a blessing, all this."
