An armed forces charity in Lynn has transformed a green space in the town to create a place for residents to pause and reflect.

The Bridge for Heroes, which supports the armed forces community, veterans and their families, opened its new garden of reflection opposite its base on Clough Lane on Friday.

Mike Taylor, founder and chief executive officer of Bridge for Heroes, said the charity took the space over from the borough council about nine months ago when they agreed to manage it using wounded, injured and sick veterans.

Borough mayor Nick Daubney officially unveiled the garden and said he hoped that members of the public would take "full advantage" of the new asset.

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He said: "I've learned over the years, all those years that I was leader of the council, what you do in the community locally and nationally and the work that you all do and the big difference that it makes to the lives of people – it's admirable.

"To see the work here, it's such a vast improvement. I hope that people do reflect and people can enjoy it and can have their own time here to really take full advantage of what you've all created here, it's a wonderful thing."

The garden had been a while in the making, but was only made possible once funding had been found.

Martin Strals said: "The garden was quite overgrown, it wasn't in the best condition for some time.

"The Bridge for Heroes always had a wish to make it into a garden of reflection and the opportunity came up when we received a grant from the Shelroy Charitable Foundation Trust."

Mr Strals said the money – a £3,500 grant – not only allowed them to transform the garden, but also gave 15 veterans the opportunity to have a form of therapy while creating it.

He said: "This is a very good example of a team effort – working together as a team has produced some excellent results."

The garden does not solely comprise plants, but also a wooden model of the bridge in the charity's logo, which was handcrafted by volunteer Mark Howard.

"The funding gave enough budget to change the display for a year," Mr Strals added.

The display, which will adapt seasonally, mostly contains perennial plants.

Gordon Halewood, deputy chairman of trustees at the Bridge for Heroes, said: "We have had a lot of public interest already. A lot of people have stopped and talked to us about the garden.

"One lady stopped and said 'I come this way to work and I see the garden and my spirits are uplifted and I feel good for the rest of the day."

Mr Halewood said the charity received some support in their project, including from West Norfolk Council who helped remove the rubbish from the site while it was being cleared.