New habitat garden officially opens in Redcar
Friday 21 August 2026
A new habitat garden designed to support wildlife and create a safer, more welcoming environment for the local community has officially opened at Beyond Housing’s Westfield Farm in Dormanstown.
The garden was opened by the Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland, Councillor Ceri Cawley, during a summer fair attended by 50 local people.
Westfield Farm is our community resource and training centre, providing support, training and volunteering opportunities for people in the surrounding area.
The habitat garden project was developed to improve the experience of customers and volunteers using the centre, while bringing wider environmental benefits to the site.
The area has been transformed into a meadow-style habitat intended to encourage biodiversity and support a greater variety of plants, insects and wildlife.
Our Neighbourhoods Team started planning and coordinating the project in late 2025, and work started in June 2026. PB Civils removed old paths and stonework around the pond, levelled the area and installed new paving and a circular path through the garden.
The Westfield Farm team and its garden volunteers then completed the planting and created a habitat hut to help visitors learn more about the plants, insects and animals living in the area.
Maria Taylor, Apprentice and Volunteer Team Leader at Beyond Housing, said: “The project has really given a lift to Westfield Farm, giving us a focus and supporting our vision to provide a welcoming and safe place for our customers and community along with benefitting the environment and ecosystems we have created.”
Josie Haley, Business Administration Apprentice, led the delivery of the project. She said: “This project was brought to the Neighbourhoods Team with the goal of giving the community centre a new lease of life ahead of the 2026 summer. We wanted to enable a safe, clean, and welcoming place for the community. Being able to provide this for the team at Westfield Farm was highly rewarding for me as an apprentice and has provided me with amazing experience and a newfound love for project work.”
The summer fair was hosted by Beyond Housing’s employability team and included games, activities and stalls from partner organisations showcasing support, services and opportunities available within the community.
