New community garden project has started!
We are extremely pleased to announce that our community garden project is now up and running. We have been welcomed by in Barnards Green Cricket Club on North End Lane to develop an unused corner of the ground. Once set up we will be running weekly horticulture, social and therapeutic gardening sessions. Activities will include things such as food growing and environmental conservation and gardening for health and well-being.
The site will be based around Permaculture ethics and principles. If you have not come across the term before, permaculture can be understood as the growth of agricultural ecosystems in a self-sufficient and sustainable way. This form of agriculture draws inspiration from nature to develop synergetic farming systems based on crop diversity, resilience, natural productivity, and sustainability. The tool kit that permaculture provides  can also be applied not only to gardening but in a number of different scenarios. Central to permaculture are the three ethics; The ethics of earth care, people care and fair share which form the foundation for permaculture design and are also found in most traditional societies. Ethics are culturally evolved mechanisms that regulate self-interest, giving us a better understanding of favourable or unviable outcomes.
What's the plan?
The setting up and running of a community garden for individuals, local groups and organisations. For both adults and children/young people of all abilities.
Social - it will be an inclusive space for people to engage with nature, to tackle isolation and develop a community network.
Education -Â We will be teaching transferable skills for employment as well as useful life skills and educating children in horticulture and nature based subjects.
Therapeutic -Â It will be of benefit to people in terms of physical and mental health as well as running sessions for people with disabilities and issues such as long term health problems or long term unemployment. We will be tapping in to the social prescribing network as well as providing a space for other local groups/charities to utilize.
How will it work?
The format will be weekly horticulture, social and therapeutic gardening sessions to engage people in a physical, sensorial, cognitive and emotional way. Based on the biophilia effect, the sessions are aimed at the general public as health promotion, and for green care as nature-based therapy or treatment intervention for people with a defined need (for example those in recovery from illness, those with long term illness, the unemployed ) and also to tackle loneliness. Activities will include things such as community gardening/food growing and environmental conservation.
Work so far?
We have already had a number of workdays and started generally clearing the site to get the infrastructure put in. We have started a permaculture plan and drawn up a site map, we will be documenting of the project in picture form as well as on paper and online by way of our website/ social media. garden, We are currently working on pulling in funding to enable us to purchase things like a greenhouse and shed, tools and paths so that the site is fully accessible.
Can I get involved?
Yes please! This project is a resource for the whole community to benefit from. At the moment the focus is on clearing the site, doing a permaculture plan and organising the infrastructure.
 If you would like to get involved with the workdays, help with planning, find out more about permaculture works or have any other ideas on how we can develop the garden, please get in touch.
We would also like to invite contact from any local groups or organisations who might like to get involved in the project.
Funding - Barnards Green Cricket Club have just launched a Spacehive fundraiser, they are doing some amazing work to make the site more environmentally friendly and sustainable. The community garden is also included in this bid. If you are able to make a contribution you can do so here
or scan this QR code
