Brightening up the Bridge with new planters
New planters have been added to the Bridge as part of one woman’s continuing efforts to improve the area.
Bernie Coutu has previously spent more than two weeks cleaning up the bins and more recently turned her attention to the area near the flower-filled boat.
‘People used to park on this raised area,’ she said.
‘We’ve had a yellow line put here by Traffic and that’s brilliant. It’s just to cheer it up a bit,’ she said of her efforts.
There were already three planters nearby but these have now been moved to form a line along the border and two more added, which Ms Coutu obtained from the Vale parish.
These had been made by inmates at Guernsey Prison.
The flowers have been provided by the States’ Land Management department and they were planted by Darren Lilley, who said that most of the plants were polyanthus, some of which he put in in October while the new planters were filled about a month ago.
‘I come down once a week normally, to make sure they’re all right,’ he said.
Vale constable Richard Leale said he was delighted at Ms Coutu’s efforts.
‘It’s a good thing when a parishioner steps forward to do things, especially when they’ve not been approached in the first instance,’ he said.
The rowing boat full of flowers was put in place by the now-defunct Vale Floral Group
Ms Coutu, who is involved with the Bridge Neighbourhood Watch and has lived in the area for many years, is planning to add more planters to the southern end of the road next, by the Mariners’ Inn, and Mr Lilley will include those in his rounds, too.
She also plans to provide hot drinks to young people from the kiosk on the plantation on the North Side on two nights a week, which she hoped to start doing soon.
