Selmes set to bloom anew
Selmes’ pop-up café and playground could look like this concept art. Photo: Supplied.
Marlburians who associate Selmes with a garden centre will not have long to wait for a return of sorts to that kind of facility.
Selmes Garden Charitable Trust has green-lit plans to rejuvenate the Burleigh property off Battys Road where it previously operated a commercial nursery staffed by Marlburians with disabilities. Developing in phases over two years, the renovated site will feature growing areas for trees and plants; a marketplace; a café; a playground; and a sensory garden.
“It will be as beautiful as it is functional,” Nicki Stretch, Selmes’ general manager, predicted.
As its mission states, “Selmes Garden Charitable Trust is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing support and opportunities for disabled people in Marlborough, creating a better community for all.” It started with IHC Nursery on Selmes Road before a 2008 move to become Selmes Garden Centre.
Fiscal challenges prompted the trust to shut the centre last August and restructure operations. Selmes launched Trees for Marlborough as a fundraising and beautification venture, and a partnership with Mitre 10 Blenheim grows and packages landscaping products in bulk.
“Recognising that [the previous iteration] was financially unviable and not achieving its purpose of providing employment and training for people with disabilities,” Nicki explained, “over the last few months, we have been out talking with the disability community to understand what the opportunities are for Selmes going forward that are going to be of the most benefit to the people who we are here to support – as well as being of significant benefit to the community at large.”
The outreach yielded the plans for “creating a community space that provides options for dedicated training programme as well as work experience and creates meaningful employment for, hopefully, up to 20 people living with intellectual disabilities”.
Selmes currently has six employees; four are neurodivergent or intellectually impaired. Vanessa Wall, the longest-serving staff member, started 39 years ago at the original Selmes Road location.
Of the site repurposing, Nicki said: “We want to make use of every square metre of land.”
Visit selmes.co.nz/contact to inquire about supporting the organisation.