Bay Street Open Day

River Clyde Homes were delighted to hold an open day on Thursday, 6th July 2023, inviting members of the public along for the official unveiling of the new Community Garden and Mural in Bay Street, Port Glasgow. 

Attended by members of the local council, representatives from River Clyde Homes and RIG Arts, the day was a great success, with lots of fun activities for all ages – including dancing, face painting, games, and prize giveaways. 

The community garden and heritage mural were made possible after the successful award of around £25k in grant funding from the Cycling Scotland Social Housing Fund. The aim of this award was to encourage people to walk and cycle - and thereby improve their health and wellbeing. The community garden and mural provide a sense of place in the Town Centre, and it is also incorporated into the new Port Glasgow Art Trail signposting to other works of art around the local area. 

The funds provided were used to create the community garden and mural in collaboration with Inverclyde based Charity RIG Arts, a multi-award winning socially engaged charity that brings artists and the community together in a collaborative, creative way using art; supported by RCH Groups Construction arm, Home Fix Scotland in consultation with the local community. Despite the impact of Covid restrictions which slowed progress, everyone persevered to see the job through to completion. 

The mural was painted by local artist, Tragic O’Hara, while the garden was a team effort from RCH Group Young People who planted shrubs, and HFS (Home Fix Scotland) grounds maintenance teams who installed benches cycle hoops, prepared the garage fronts, and built planters from recycled railway sleepers. 

The project is a superb example of the RCH Group ethos of ‘Improving Lives and Places’ is all about – we hope that everyone, either passing by or sitting and reminiscing in the gardens will get some enjoyment out of them.