RESIDENTS turned out in force to celebrate the opening of a special garden with its very own royal connection. A previously unused grassy slope behind Kilve Village Hall has been transformed into a social space with disabled access, a walled patio with seating and bee and insect-friendly flowers and plants. Some of the plants for the Jubilee Garden were donated from Prince Charles' own Highgrove estate, including cowslips, irises and wood sanicles. During the project, villagers discovered that Highgrove's deputy head gardener John Ridgley lived in Kilve during the 1990s when he was a student at the then Cannington College. Around 50 villagers and guests attended the Jubilee Garden's official opening on Saturday, which took place during the village hall's monthly coffee morning. Resident Olaf Chedzoy, whose late wife Doreen was a keen supporter of the project and who chose the scheme as one of her beneficiaries, gave a short speech praising Kilve's community spirit. He then unveiled a plaque which recorded the contributions of all those who had supported the project. As well as the Prince of Wales, the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty pitched in with a £3,852 grant. And additional funding came from Hinkley Point A owners Magnox's Socio-Economic Scheme, Kilve Parochial Church Council, Kilve Parish Council, Kilve News and local residents. Villagers also gave plants for the garden and gave up their spare time to dig over and create the new space under the guidance of Jan Cornell and Sarah Buchanan, who recently graduated from Bridgwater College's Cannington Centre's landscape degree course. Alison Eyley, chairman of Kilve Village Hall, said: "We would like to thank all those who contributed to the make the project such a success. "We hope local residents and visitors to Kilve will now be able to enjoy this wonderful public space."