PEOPLE heading for work in Bolton town centre will soon be welcomed with a haven of flowers thanks to a community project.

Residents have been working to clear two areas of land next to the underpass that links Castle Street and Churchgate, and to sow seeds of native British flowers there.

This project, along with two others in Bolton, has been funded by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and carried out by members of The Haulgh North Residents’ Actions Group.

It has formed part of Kew’s “Grow Wild” scheme, which sees Big Lottery funding distributed to community groups across the country in a bid to turn unloved spaces into wildlife-friendly wildflower havens.

The Haulgh North Residents’ Action group is using the funding to carry out work at sites in Bury New Road and in the ‘Our Backfield’ woodland area near Larkfield Grove in Tonge Moor.

Harvey Scowcroft, aged 65, chairman of the action group, said the Castle Street site was chosen to give people a boost on their way to work.

He added: “Lots of people walk past this area on their way to and from work and we chose it because we think it can brighten up their lives.

“We also hope this could encourage people to start doing work in their own garden.

“We have now cleared the site of all the brambles and nettles and sowed all the seeds, which we hope will flower around July.”

The group have been supported by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Bolton Council who own the land.

Clare Dalton, from Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, who came to Bolton to look at the site’s progress, said: “With the Grow Wild project we are trying to encourage people to take action in their local areas.

“By getting people involved, including young people, at an early stage they can see the benefits of these projects and help to maintain them.”