Brilliant Community Gardens
05/14/2023
Is there a community garden in your area? A green space which is managed by volunteers, somewhere local people can go to apply their gardening skills and enjoy time outside?
Community gardens are an important asset for many people. In Great Britain, one in eight households (12%) has no access to a private or shared garden (ONS data 2020). The number rises to one in five in London and also varies according to economic and ethnic backgrounds.
The Mental Health Foundation looked at the impact of access to nature on wellbeing in their 2021 report Nature. It gathered evidence of how and why a relationship with nature is so important.
These gardens have been created to preserve green spaces within their communities. They bring volunteers together to enhance their local areas, develop new skills, grow food and spend time outside. If you are looking to create or save a community garden in your area, we have included some useful links to organisations which offer support and advice.
A garden in the city
Dalston Eastern Curve Garden was created in 2010 on the site of a derelict railway line. Hackney is the third most densely populated borough in London and Dalston is one of its most populated wards where the majority of people live in flats with no outside space. The garden provides an oasis, connecting people to nature in the city.
Marie Murray, co-director of the garden said: “We operate as a social enterprise. Our social mission is to bring all of the health and community benefits of green space to this built-up part of the city. Our enterprise is the cafe, where we generate the income needed for the operation of the garden.
Our motto is:
“Keep cities wild!”
We garden for wildlife and people, choosing plants to support bees and other pollinators and that give year-round botanical joy, planting thousands of bulbs every autumn to give a ‘wow factor’ each spring! We employ a gardener who is supported by over 100 volunteers.
During the pandemic we set up community mornings for people who were socially isolated, including several groups of older people. They continue to gather every week to enjoy nutritious food and good company. The garden is also very popular with children, who love having space to be a little bit wild! Our community activities celebrate nature and the changing seasons, including our annual pumpkin lantern festival, where as many as 1,200 pumpkins, carved by local residents, light up every corner of the garden! Our motto is: Keep cities wild”
A garden in a bus
Building Futures East in Newcastle is aiming to raise £8,831 to convert a double decker bus into a community greenhouse. The bus was given to the charity eight years ago and they’d intended to use it out in the community. Dawn Emmerson, Senior Work Coach said: “just before Christmas last year, volunteers working in our garden were talking about the bus and someone suggested it would be a great greenhouse! That’s where it started!”
The team have now developed a plan where the bus will be used to grow fresh produce for food parcels which are given to local residents. It will also be used for community events and gardening courses.
Organisers are confident that the project will promote physical activity – both indoors and out, reduce social isolation and grow community connections. Local artists will be invited to contribute ideas to transform the interior and exterior of the bus making it an icon in the local area.
Dawn added: “The project is moving forwards. A team of lads recently came and stripped the bus so it is now empty inside and we can see the space properly for the first time. We are making connections with local business and the council and hoping to get some funding. We have lots of support in the community but despite this our crowdfunding site hasn’t yet gone as well as we hoped. The greenhouse bus has so much potential to bring our community together. We are very excited about the project where produce and new friendships will grow.”
A garden in a field
Thanks to the work of the local community, an overgrown school playing field in Chesham, Bucks has become a space for outside learning and food growing. After many hours of work the space opened as a forest school and community garden in November 2021.
Douglas Silverstone, community activist said: “The idea behind the garden was to use the space for the local community to grow their own food. We wanted a way to learn from each other, connect with food and strengthen community ties. Our monthly planting sessions bring people from local streets together. There’s a high level of deprivation in the local community. The planting days are a free activity for families where they can work together, get new experiences and get in touch with the outdoors.
Local businesses have donated woodchips, compost and other gardening equipment. Local people have built sheds, donated fruit trees and the Beaver group (2nd Chesham) planted 30 trees. The local council funded us to build deer fencing and to make other changes.
The hardest thing is finding organisers to help plan what to plant and when, and to organise planting days so people know about them, and it is easy to get involved. Having the school on board helps as it encourages parents to join in. Although we have a Facebook group with lots of members, the turnout to the planting days relies on word of mouth and good old fashioned leaflets. Despite the challenges, it is a joy to see the garden develop and grow. Children come and get their hands in the dirt while grandparents pass on their knowledge.”
Sources of support
- Social Farms & Gardens is a UK-wide charity which supports communities to farm, garden and grow together. They support thousands of grassroots organisations from small fruit and veg plots on urban housing estates to large-scale rural care farms.
- Good to Grow is a network of community gardens across the UK. Members can get planting advice and recruit new volunteers through its online platform.
- Watch This Space is a three-step resource from Fields in Trust. It helps communities to champion and support their local green spaces and campaign to protect them.
