Over the years, we have seen the many faces of addiction in the laneway by our back yards, bordered by Nicol and Victoria, between Watkins and Needham. We have seen drug dealing and prostitution.
We recognized that we needed to create positive changes. After a few phone calls and introductions, several families from the immediate neighbourhood gathered one evening to brainstorm ideas and it was unanimous to create a plan for improving the alley. The vision for Lavender Lane came into being.
Now if you don’t know this already, lavender has long been valued for its ability to produce calming, soothing and sedative effects when the scent is inhaled. A hardy non-invasive perennial, it needs little water so survive. And for you fans of language, the word “lavare” is Latin, meaning “to wash”, “to purify.”
Invites were sent to all neighbouring houses and a large community work party began on Saturday morning. Gates in the laneway opened for the first time in years, neighbours shaking hands and introducing themselves. Positive words of hope, love, and community were chalked along the whole alley to change the energy and help raise the vibration. Everyone participated in the clean-up and laneway makeover: the RCMP bike patrol, security people and by-laws staff came out to show their support.
We ended the day with a BBQ, a strong sense of community, and great pride of our accomplishments together.
Our next work party will be on Saturday August 25, from 9:30 AM to 1 PM where we will focus on painting the fences and planting lavender along side the lane, which will be loved and cared for by the entire neighbourhood, because we LOVE the South End, and we believe in community. We know that we can create positive changes only by working together.
We are especially grateful to the following LOCAL businesses for their support of this effort:
Rona, who gave us paintbrushes.
Buckerfields, who contributed 2 lavender plants.
Tim Horton’s, who helped out with morning snacks.
And Country Grocer, who provided the lunch items for our volunteers.
If you would like to donate paint or lavender plants, please call Angie @ 250.753.8279 or Madilynn @ 250.591.5096. (We’re also planning to add motion lights and a solar panel sensor if you can help out with that, too.)
Angie Eyford
Leave a Reply