BBC’s Beechgrove Garden team design woodland garden for West Calder rescue dogs

The team behind the popular BBC programme transformed a previously unused woodland area at the charity’s West Calder Rehoming Centre into a doggy paradise for walks and precious relaxing time away from the kennels.

Avid viewers of Beechgrove Garden will have seen Dogs Trust staff, volunteers and current residents of West Calder Rehoming Centre feature on two recent episodes of the show.

Working with the charity’s staff and volunteers, the team at Beechgrove planted lots of dog friendly plants to create a really peaceful, sensory area which is now being enjoyed every day by the 50 dogs currently looking for new homes.

Speaking about the garden, Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre manager Susan Tonner says: “We wanted to turn an unused woodland area at the centre into a dog friendly garden area that could be enjoyed by our dogs, staff, volunteers and potential adopters.

“Our Maintenance Operative, Stephen McLean, contacted Beechgrove Garden to ask what type of plants they would recommend that were safe for dogs and would flourish under the trees.

“To our amazement presenter Kirsty Wilson got in touch asking if she could visit and, once she had seen the area, they offered to design the garden and film the transformation for their programme. We were of course delighted and said yes please.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the finished garden, which is a really peaceful, sensory area which is now being enjoyed every day by our dogs and staff.

“Everything we do at Dogs Trust West Calder is about enriching the lives of our dogs while they are with us, and this new woodland garden very much helps us to achieve this aim.”