It was a huge privilege and pleasure to attend Joyous at Arundells in Salisbury last week.

We spent a glorious summer evening in the gardens celebrating 12 months of activity, learning, change and experimentation, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It’s always lovely to be able to set a project off and running and then see it bear fruit at the end. The evening was a huge thank you to all the community members, partners, funders and Arundells volunteers and staff who have come together to make everything happen.

Loads has taken place over the year, mostly with new audiences who had not used Arundells before. For me the community garden was really special. What was an unloved, unused corner of the garden is now alive with plants, wildlife and perhaps more importantly the passion and stories of the new volunteers who have made it their own.

Well done to Ivan, Kate, Emma, Beth, Becky and all the others who have made this happen, and as was said on the night, this is just the beginning. I look forward to seeing what comes next.