Herb and spice garden with special access opened in Bishan

Channel NewsAsia 17 Nov 07

SINGAPORE: The first herb and spice garden with special access for wheelchair users was opened in Bishan Saturday.

Deputy Prime Minister and MP for the area Mr Wong Kan Seng topped the soil at the Herb and Spice Garden.

The garden, located at the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled, was built with technical expertise from National Parks Board (NParks) with a special feature.

"People in wheelchairs have to access the plants at a slightly higher level. That's why these planters are raised. So they can get right up close, and their hands can tend the plants," NParks’ streetscape director Simon Longman explained.

The Home is the first organisation to receive a S$30,000 grant from a new fund set up by the Central Singapore Community Development Council. Another garden will be built at a nearby primary school.

NParks has helped build 250 community gardens so far, and there are plans to add 50 more next year. - CNA/ac


Seeds of community
Vincent Wee, Business Times 19 Nov 07;

THE more than 50 Citi employees who helped to plant a herb and spice garden at the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled were among some 1,000 in Singapore who participated in Citi Global Community Day on Saturday, by contributing to various community projects. Deputy PM Wong Kan Seng (4th from left), Citi Singapore country officer Piyush Gupta (2nd from left) and Citi head of Asia Pacific global consumer bank Stephen Bird (extreme right) helped to sprout the first seeds.