Southampton Sustainability Forum

There are ‘groovy’ times ahead for some of Southampton’s parks and community gardens. Groups of labyrinth-makers are planning to recreate this ancient symbol in the turf across the city over the summer.

The labyrinths will be marked by a fine grass seed to distinguish it from the typical grass used in the Parks and are for the benefit of park and garden visitors who want to use the symbol for meditative or reflective purposes.

First up will be Mayfield Park on Saturday 26th April. Debbie Carroll, chair of the Friends group at Mayfield Park, is organising a labyrinth making activity near the obelisk landmark as part of the Park’s annual Open Day event.
Other labyrinths are planned for Mansel Park and the Ropewalk Community Garden in the Newtown area of the city centre.

Mark Rendell, a local garden designer, thought up the idea of the ‘Walk A Quiet Path’ project: “I love the parks and open spaces around the city but often wondered if they could also support those people who didn’t want to play football, walk the dog or run around the park but wanted to use the proximity to nature to help them slow down, reflect on things or find a quiet space to meditate. A labyrinth is a perfect feature in a park and also helps to create a quiet space for reflection. People are definitely attracted to labyrinths and it can be used in so many different ways.”
Mark approached Hilary Bradley from Southampton City Council and she successfully bid for BBC Breathing Places funding to support the project. Adrian Crook, open spaces manager at the City Council, has also been instrumental in networking with local Parks Groups to promote the project.

“I’ve been amazed at the interest shown in this ancient symbol and believe that they will be popular additions to our public spaces this summer,” said Mark.

There are very few turf labyrinths left in Britain. Examples nearby include the Mizmaze on St. Catherine’s Hill near Winchester and the Mizmaze near Breamore. “Our grass labyrinths are only temporary features in the parks but if there is sufficient interest in them then perhaps we could consider creating at least one permanent labyrinth in the city for those who want to walk a quiet path all year round.”

For further details on how to get involved in making a grass labyrinth at Mayfield Park, contact Maria Moore on 023 8032 4741 or Debbie Carroll on 023 8068 5193.
For more information on the Walk A Quiet Path project and labyrinths in general, contact Mark Rendell on 023 8023 3768, email Mark or visit his website: the growing company.