VENTNOR's very own flower fairy has been transforming the town by tearing out weeds and planting home grown flowers — all with no budget.

The project began last year when Lesley Brown went to Ventnor Winter Gardens and asked them whether they were going to be doing anything with their flower beds.

They weren't, so Lesley asked to take on the project herself and — when she told them she could do it all on no budget — they agreed.

A year on, she has filled the beds with 300 flowers grown from cuttings gathered from various spots around town.

She said: “It has been hugely well received from local residents. It was spreading a message about what can be achieved with no money.

“But it was very hard because the gardens were two or three foot high with weeds.”

Now known as The Flower Fairy, she said she took on the project both to improve the area’s aesthetics, because of how much it relies on tourism, but also for the environmental impact.

She said: “The reason I made it public is, and I’m actually quite shy, but in order to get the message out there that we really need to get plants in places that are pollen heavy.

“Just walking into town, I have been stopped a few times by people just saying, ‘are you the Flower Fairy?’”

Lesley would like the Island to follow the example set by Rotherham Council and their ‘River of Flowers’, which sees wildflowers planted throughout the town to nurture wildlife, improve the town’s aesthetic and save the council money in grass cutting.

She said: "It is such a green Island on so many levels. I’m just making tiny steps."

She is now working on her second project, tidying up the overgrown exterior of the BT building.

She will also tackle the area outside St Wilfrid's Church.