History

In 1985 a 10 acre field, with a broken down barn and 1 tree, was bought by Richard and Irene Tinklin. Their aim was to start a nursery specialising in wildflowers, and their vision was to create a place where people who were disadvantaged in some way could come and be involved in a range of horticultural and gardening activities.

Working at weekends and holidays they slowly started to form the structure of a nursery. Some second-hand buildings were bought and put up, a glasshouse erected and a water supply laid on. Plants were grown and steady progress made. Over 5000 trees were planted and these now provide pleasant shelter for people, plants and wildlife at the nursery.

A big step forward came in1994 when Mires Beck Nursery became a registered charity (No 1038078). Trustees were appointed, a manager was employed and 4 young people began attending the nursery for training and work experience. Being a charity also enabled grants to be applied for and further improvements to the facilities have been made including 2 large glasshouses and a 80ft x 20ft sectional building to be an office and indoor work area. In 2003 we finally raised sufficient funds to have mains electricity installed! ­ we had managed with just a generator until then.

In October 2004 we celebrated our 10th anniversary. There are now 50 people who come to the nursery each week and find much satisfaction and enjoyment from being part of a real working environment producing a wide range of good quality plants.