For over two and a half decades,  Mrs Mcghie-Belgrave has been using her garden to share wisdom and peace in a troubled neighbourhood.

She created the Shades Of Black Community Family Project after the Handsworth riots in 1985 when fire and chaos ripped through the neighbourhood, destroying lives and property.

The garden is one part of a multi-faceted approach that aims to to enhance the life skills of the community. This involvement is a vital and essential part of their programme development e.g., good communication skills which enable achievements, especially when working in a multiracial society in Handsworth.

Shades of Black Committee Members have been successfully presenting social activities at grass root level for the past ten years, and because of their involvement and assistance in defusing misunderstanding on racially important issues, local community people have become very supportive of the venture.

Mrs Mcghie-Belgrave maintains the garden mostly by herself, but she opens it to the community to come in and learn and enjoy. She teaches many classes in the garden, and seeks to engage young people in the healthy and rewarding pursuit of gardening in order to better their lives.