We caught up with Sian Highnam of the Fontmell Community Garden to find out how this caring village pulls together.

The village hall is the beating heart of Fontmell Magna. From garden projects to the regular community warm hubs, a dedicated crew of volunteers works tirelessly to organise and galvanise people from the village and surrounding schools, ensuring that everyone feels involved.

Sian Highnam runs the community garden, which she started in 2020 during the pandemic. “The garden provided an opportunity to get people together in a lovely way,” she explains. “A band of enthusiastic volunteers are always busy growing seeds, planting, watering and gathering blooms for enjoyment.
“This year we will have the village hall decked in red, white and blue blooms for the coronation weekend, and the garden will have lots of flowers for villagers to cut and enjoy.”
The involvement of local schools is integral to the garden’s success. Every year, pupils from St Andrew’s School plant spring bulbs and sunflowers. The Fontmell Under Fives have three dedicated troughs which they plant up in October and May, and the garden and cafe are recognised options on the sixth form volunteering programme for students from Clayesmore School.
“Everyone works hard to make the hall a success,” explains Sian. “A special mention should be made of Lisa Le Druillenec, our village hall secretary, who has worked tirelessly to secure grants to enable us to fund some of these exciting projects.
“Rosie Anne Yates , the village hall chair, is always looking for ways to use the hall as a central hub in our small village and is a great ambassador for our village hall and its committee.
“Volunteers do what they can manage. We have those who garden, who bake cakes, who help at the cafes, who run craft sessions for the children… So many friendships have been made. It is actually very humbling.”

Their hard work was recognised at the end of last year with no less that three awards – the Dorset Volunteering award, a High Sheriff of Dorset community volunteering award and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Level 5 outstanding award for ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’.

If you’d like to get involved in any of the projects in Fontmell Magna, please email bookings.fmvh@mail.com.