A new Compost Demonstration Site at Ford Park in Ulverston is set to open to the public on Saturday 7 October.

The official opening of Westmorland and Furness Council’s new Compost Demonstration Site will take place in the walled garden at Ford Park in Ulverston from 12.00pm.

Residents local to the area and anyone interested in composting are invited to come along as part of celebrations for the annual Apple Day in Ford Park.

Thanks to funding from Westmorland and Furness Council and additional funding from Cumbria Action for Sustainability’s Community Fund, the new composting site has been established to allow the public to learn how easy it is to compost at home. It will be part of a network of six sites across Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland.

The site, within the walled garden of the park, will be used by volunteer Master Composters from organic gardening charity, Garden Organic, to demonstrate composting and the various bins and systems available.

The site will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9.30am to 3.00pm, with Master Composters on site to provide support, advice and demonstrations. Garden groups and other organisations will be able to book visits to the site for talks and demonstrations, and a series of interpretation boards will also be available.

Master Composters are trained to provide home composting advice to residents across the county and as part of this work, the volunteers give presentations and attend events to promote and encourage home composting.

For more information about Master Composters or to book a group visit to the Ford Park site, please email mccumbria@gardenorganic.org.uk.

Councillor Dyan Jones, Westmorland and Furness Council Cabinet Member for Customer and Waste Services, said:

“It’s been a great collaborative effort with partners to launch this new site and I’m delighted that the council has been able to support and help fund it. We want even more people to get involved in composting at home so I’m sure this site, along with others in the pipeline, will be valuable in showing people how easy it can be.

“Home composting organic waste not only helps reduce carbon emissions but is a good way to reduce the amount of waste sent for treatment. I urge everyone to give home composting a go, and for those who live in the area and interested in learning more to visit Ford Park.”

Councillor Giles Archibald, Westmorland and Furness Council Cabinet Member for Climate and Biodiversity, added:

“I’m really excited to have Ford Park as the first of three compost demonstration sites we’re launching across Westmorland and Furness. It’s an excellent location managed organically and will be part of a wider network of similar sites across Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland, set up by Garden Organic’s Master Composter programme in collaboration with partners around the county.”

Fiona Taylor, Chief Executive of Garden Organic, said:

“Composting is simple but important, and we’re on a mission to demystify it. The best way to get people composting is to show them how it’s done. This Compost Demonstration Site does just that, inspiring people to create their own system at home that will turn their food and green waste into a brilliant resource that will nourish soil, seeds and plants.”

Composting tips can be found on the Garden Organic website at: www.gardenorganic.org.uk/compost.