A TEN-year dream has finally been realised after a sensory garden was installed in Mercer Park.

Community volunteers have been trying to raise funds for a decade and their efforts were finally rewarded when they received cash from the Lottery Fund and Lancashire Environment Fund.

The sensory garden was inspired by the distinctive works of Gaudi, a Catalan architect influenced by sculpting in the form of twists.

Yvonne Wilson, a carer from Clayton-le-Moors, has been involved with community group, Friends of Mercer Park, for a number of years.

She said: “From the planning stage it has taken two years and from the construction stage it has taken a year but it’s still a work in progress.

“The garden is an accessible area to all, that has elements that anybody with an impairment can appreciate. We have volunteers from Friends of Mercer Park and disabled volunteers coming every Wednesday to help out.

“It’s fantastic, it’s a lovely area and I love it.”

A mosaic designed by local children in the centre-piece of the garden, which has features four beds, representing the four seasons.

Three beds represent touch, smell, sight and hearing and 12 scented trees stand tall amongst the grass and herb paths.

Credit must go to Yvonne and the Friends of Mercer Park, Clayton-le-Moors councillor Nick Collingridge said.

He added: “It’s been a big success and lots of people have been using it. It took a number of years to get the final design and the money together, but Yvonne really has been the driving force behind it all.”

Friends of Mercer Park, which has provided play equipment for disabled children in the past, will now turn its attention to providing a skate park by working with local community groups.

The group also plans to hold several promotional events in the garden and have asked for volunteers to help maintain it.

For more information on the garden, or the Friends of Mercer Park group, call 01254 388111.