Calne Pocket Park and Community Garden has been recognised as one of the South West’s standout community spaces after receiving the ‘Outstanding – Level 5’ award from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for the second year running.
The park earned the accolade in the RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood category, which celebrates volunteer-led green spaces that bring people together and improve their local environment.
The recognition follows another major achievement earlier this year, when the Pocket Park retained its Green Flag Award for the third consecutive year — the national mark of excellence for well-managed public parks and gardens.
Chairman John Boaler said the awards reflected the hard work and creativity of the park’s volunteer team. “We are delighted at this recognition of both the commitment of our volunteers and how the area has evolved into a real community space,” he said.
Over the past year, the park has hosted performances from Calne Ukulele Band, Hips & Haws clog dancers, The Allsorts Choir, and The Last Baguette theatre company. It has also run free family activity days, storytelling sessions, a circus skills workshop and outdoor chess afternoons - all funded through local grants and donations to the park’s pop-up cafés.
The group has already announced plans for next summer, with an open-air performance of The Great Gatsby booked for 28th July following the success of last year’s Pride and Prejudice.
The Pocket Park and Community Garden is maintained by a team of just 14 volunteers. New helpers are always welcome — anyone interested can visit on Sundays at 2pm or email
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