GARDENING – APRIL V2.qxp_Layout 2 20/03/2023 13:19 Page 1
Growing together As we celebrate Community Garden Week this month, Elly West looks at how local communities are turning unused plots into green sanctuaries...
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ommunity gardens are thriving across our city, with people getting together and turning what might be an otherwise unused and derelict plot into a green sanctuary. The benefits of such spaces are far-reaching, celebrated this month by a designated Community Garden Week, from 3 – 9 April. Greening up our city has an obvious aesthetic appeal, but community gardens are much more than this, providing places to relax, a way to engage with nature, connect with likeminded people, and in some cases they provide a source of fresh food that everyone can freely enjoy. Around half of the world’s population lives in cities. Community gardens are especially valuable in urban areas where there is a lack of access to open space, and individual gardens might be small or nonexistent. They also provide learning opportunities, a chance to develop self-esteem, job skills and confidence. Many of the larger projects in Bristol have close links with local schools, allowing children to spend time at grass-roots level, get in touch with nature and encouraging them to eat healthily. Although community gardens are growing in popularity in recent years, they date back at least to the early 19th century, when public land gardening plots were allocated to the poor by the government, allowing people to grow flowers and vegetables in public spaces. RHS Britain in Bloom is the UK’s largest community gardening competition, first held in 1963. This annual event sees neighbourhoods across the UK, from small villages to large cities, working to improve their local environment. In 2021, the Royal Horticultural Society set up the first Community Awards, in recognition of the growth of community gardens, and of their particular importance during lockdown as places to relax, engage with nature, meet with others and get active outdoors. 64 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | APRIL 2023 | No 221
In Bristol, the Incredible Edible project (ediblebristol.org.uk), founded by Sara Venn, has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2014. There are now more than 40 edible gardens around the city, whether in parks, street corners or station platforms, where food is free for anyone to take and eat. Sometimes this may be just a planter box filled with crops, but there are also larger gardens, for example in Millennium Square, the Bear Pit, and Quakers Burial Ground on Redcliffe Way. These are looked after by volunteers, to benefit the community. Other community projects around Bristol include Blaise Community Garden, a walled garden that is part of the Blaise Estate, and has been restored by a team of volunteers over the last ten years. This special space is open to visitors from 10am-2pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, plus Mondays from April to October, and features beehives, ponds, raised beds and glasshouses. New volunteers are always welcome. There are various events throughout the year including the annual spring market on 29 April. Visit blaisecommunitygarden.org.uk for more information. St Werburghs City Farm on Watercress Road is home to a one-acre community plot that has free public access all year round, with a mix of flowers, vegetables and soft fruit. It’s a green city sanctuary, next to Narroways Nature Reserve, and a great spot for a wander and a picnic, or a visit to the café. All are welcome at the weekly social gardening sessions on Thursday mornings. Visit swcityfarm.co.uk to find out more. Grow Wilder in Stapleton, run by Avon Wildlife Trust and a team of volunteers, is a six-acre urban oasis that’s open to visitors all year round. The aim is to engage and inspire local people to connect with nature and learn new skills, while conserving natural habitats in the city. There’s also a wildflower nursery on site