Hi, I am Angela Hayler, I was born in Liverpool and live in Halton. My love of the outdoors is part of my DNA. As one of six children, the easiest way for mum to get some peace and quiet was to send us off to the local park with butties and told not to return until teatime. Come rain, sunshine or snow we loved being outdoors. Even the dogs knew the way, they would get the number 78, sit at the back of the bus and head off on adventures whist we were at school!
Once we were old enough not to trash our family garden, Mum and Dad started to create a haven for wildlife that brimmed with plants for every season. I loved it. When I left home, it was some years before I had my own garden and I couldn’t wait to start experimenting. Over the years I have lived in many different places and enjoyed the challenge of a country garden, a beach garden and a mountain garden in Spain before returning to Cheshire in 2013.
Following a cancer diagnosis, I gardened like crazy through my treatment and I found that immersing myself in nature massively helped my recovery and I decided to retire early at 53. Lucky old me also found a group of like-minded ladies at a yoga for cancer class and when I put it to them that we start up a not very serious community garden and call it ‘The Wonky Garden’, they were in!
Early 2018 we were asked to take on an unloved allotment space at Ditton Community Centre in Widnes. On a grim February morning I popped in to see it and fell in love with the possibilities. I responded to the request with a few conditions; ‘thanks for the invite, we would like the allotment, the children’s garden, the piece of land at the back, water, electric and a lock up, oh, and we can’t pay for it but we will create something extraordinary for all to enjoy!’.