Clayton-le-Moors park project influenced by Antoni Gaudi (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Clayton-le-Moors park project influenced by Antoni Gaudi

11:49am Monday 5th December 2011 in Clayton-le-Moors By Nazia Parveen, Reporter

SPANISH Catalan-style architecture is set to be brought to East Lancashire.

A sensory garden modelled on the work of artist Antoni Gaudi will be created in Mercer Park, Clayton-le-Moors, for partially sighted and disabled people follo-wing a ten-year campaign.

Now the Friends of Mercer Park are delighted after securing a lottery grant to carry out the work.

Work on the garden, which has been designed for smell, touch, sound and colour, will soon be under way.

Inspired by Gaudi’s Sagrada Família, the giant basilica in Barcelona, the design will have planted spaces arranged in a flow of organic shapes which will allow multiple routes around them.

Volunteers said this would create a natural crossroad which would then become the main focal and social point of the garden.

There would also be 12 tall, columnar trees, dominating the space and providing elevation.

Rean Blackburn, chairman of the group, said: “We wanted to create an individual and high-quality sensory garden which will appeal to all the senses and that invites you to both explore and contemplate, fostering a sense of peace and relaxation.”

The work will be carried out by the group and Clayton-le-Moors and Altham Community Association and Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum.

Funding was provided by The Big Lottery’s Com-munity Spaces Fund, Lancashire Environment Fund and Groundwork UK.

Councillor Susan Haworth said: “The garden will make a wonderful addition to Mercer Park and will be a haven of peace and relaxation”. In October, 2007, the group was given national recognition for excellence at the North West’s ‘art07’ awards ceremony.