23 Apr Reclaiming Our Lanes: a Babbacombe Community Transformation

I would like to share with you this amazing project in Babbacombe that is breathing new life into our forgotten lanes. Members of Reclaim Our Lanes tell us their exiting story.

Reclaiming Our Lanes: Our Community Transformation.  Take a walk around the lanes surrounding Enfield Road in Babbacombe, Torquay, and you will notice a remarkable change. Once unloved, overgrown, and strewn with litter, these lanes have been transformed into valued community spaces, abundant with plants and wildlife.

We are a group of local residents known as The Laners. Over the last twenty months, we have worked together to Reclaim Our Lanes (ROL). Our mission was simple: clean up the lanes, sow wildflower seeds and plants, encourage pollinators, and create tranquil spaces and walkways for our community to enjoy.

Our journey started in August 2024 when we tackled the tough job of clearing countless bags of rubbish, rubble, and green waste. With instrumental support from SWISCo for waste removal, we began breathing new life into four specific lanes.

The transformation involved several key milestones.  To improve access to the lanes, Coombeshead Tree Care kindly donated wood chippings, turning muddy paths into fragrant, usable walkways.  Friends and neighbours donated over 200 plants, including bulbs and perennials.  To promote wildlife, we installed ‘bug hotels’, a small pond, and wildlife watering points.

Our motto is Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose! We used salvaged bricks and roof tiles for flower bed borders and decorated redundant garage doors with vibrant murals. By August 2025, the results were clear: accessible green lanes in full bloom, complete with educational signs and points of interest. We were even honoured with a ‘Level 3 – Advancing’ certificate in last year’s South West In Bloom ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ category!

It really is much more than just gardening.  ROL is about building a stronger community where people and nature thrive together. By gathering for just a few hours on Saturday mornings, we’ve formed deep friendships and achieved remarkable things – all with love and laughter.

We would love people to get involved.  Visit our Facebook page, Reclaim Our Lanes, for more information about our latest work. Whether you want to join us or need inspiration to transform a lane near you, we’d love to share our experience!

To find out more information about Reclaim Our Lanes or other exciting groups and projects in St. Marychurch, Babbacombe and Maidencombe, please contact me by emailing [email protected] or calling 07469660888.

Thank you.

-Jennie