COMMUNITY GARDENS

One year at the Community Garden

Pippa from Pepper’s - A Safe Place in Oakham - tells us how they are celebrating a year of community gardening at Oakham’s fire station IT IS GENERALLY accepted that gardening is great for helping support your mental health. It can help reduce stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety, help with mindfulness and keeps us active and connected with nature. Last year keen amateur gardener Julie Hodson bumped into att and ndy t o local re ghters and they got chatting. The Fire Station’s hopes to connect with the co unity and to pro ide a ellbeing space for staff to relax at the end of a long shift, combined with Julie’s love for horticulture and expertise created a new idea. They would form a community wellbeing garden. The plan was that the garden would be an accessible space for anyone in the community to take some time out, relax, get stuck into a new venture and engage with others so they set to and started work. Soon, Pepper’s - A Safe Place was invited to take part in sessions. Pepper’s is a mental health support centre based in Oakham. A team of our members, together with Oakham re ghters ha e orked to transfor the outdoor space to create a relaxing hub for all. Station Manager Greg Ayres, said: ‘The outside of the station looked tired and the grounds poorly maintained. ut no the re ghters use the garden daily in their do n time, to relax. Being involved with the Community ellbeing arden has gi en the re ghters a positi e focus

away from the stresses of work.’ o ing seeds planting o ers and eeding are ust the basics he tea ha e also added a ater feature hich is no a hotspot for birds a boat o er o ing ith o ers providing a welcome seating area to passers-by and a rela ing sensory border around the patio ulie said t has been such a pri ilege to atch the guys at epper’s and the cre at the re station transfor this space and ake it their o n ellbeing hub t’s been a great co unity effort and no a space that e are all so proud of.’ he tea ha e been ell supported by locals ith arious donations fro illagers the boat ca e fro Anglian Water; plants from local garden centres; planters were made by Men and Ladies in Sheds (Age UK) and locals have been willing to share their extensive knowledge and skills. e ha e been able to run art orkshops learn about the bene ts of herbs ith a local herbalist learn about supporting biodi ersity in our gardens engage ith ne e bers of the co unity and so uch ore e recently had a bb for our e bers hich as a ell earned celebration for the rst anni ersary of the pro ect n oying salads gro n oursel es e ere able to re ect on the past year any e bers ha e de eloped a love for gardening and gained a great new skill and hobby. o e ha e seen grand ideas co e to fruition and helped plan their o n little oasis ithin the grounds thers ha e gro n in con dence and ade lasting friendships

‘The plan was that the garden would be an accessible space for anyone in the community to take some time out, relax, get stuck into a new venture and engage with others so they set to and started work.’

e ha e lo ed being a part of this pro ect and ha e seen for oursel es the huge ental health bene ts that gardening can provide. Members are able to come and relax, escape and connect with others.

Many NHS practices are now prescribing gardening to patients and we can see why. As we have said, it is known to help alleviate stress, to ease several symptoms of mental illness keep us acti e and out in the fresh air it helps to increase our ability to engage and concentrate on tasks and it gi es us so ething to feel proud of as ell as a sense of achievement. he o unity arden has gro n o er the past year and e hope it ill continue to e pand ocal groups are elco e to use the space for their o n sessions or you can oin in ith epper’s e ery other uesday at p ake so e ti e out rela and look after your ind ulie says the garden is a safe space for anyone in the co unity and e ould lo e to elco e ore locals ’

To find out more follow @peppers.asafeplace and @Communitywellbeing on Instagram or contact info@peppersasafeplace.co.uk.

MindSpace Wellbeing Garden

The MindSpace Wellbeing Garden officially opened its gate to announce its presence to the public recently after many years in the making

WHAT BEGAN AS a massive overgrown plot on ngton oad ta ford has been transfor ed into a co unity garden ith raised beds seating areas o ers egetables and trees er the four years that it has taken to tidy build and plant it has been through nu erous challenges fro o id restrictions that delayed the ork schedule to the current drought ts i pact has been felt by any already fro the ind pace ta ford olunteers and helpers ho en oy eeding planting and ore recently har esting fruits and eg to the e bers ho ha e en oyed sessions dra ing colourful plants ind pace rustee ary o glass ho has o erseen the pro ect orking ith a ulti talented steering group says t’s designed so that people can both be acti e digging and gro ing eggies for e a ple but it’s also designed so that other acti ities can take place such as our ind pace ketching roup ’ he ind pace ellbeing arden is the result of a co unity ide collaboration in ol ing co panies ho ha e loaned’ e bers of staff to do hea y lifting to generous donations fro to n charities such as the otary lub and in ol e ent by green ngered e bers of ta ford in loo and gardeners fro urghley ouse hris oung oint designer of the garden orking ith long established professional garden designer en a son e plains that the garden is di ided into t o areas an acti e area and a cal area he intention is that if you ant to co e and garden you can do so but if you si ply ant to be outside in nature you can do that too ’ here has been a lot of hard ork along the ay in creating this garden fro reclai ing the land the e ui alent of four to si allot ents fro the o ergro n eeds and plants to designing a space hich anticipated a range of needs of future users

Varied planting

en a son is a keen plants an and the plants in the ind pace ellbeing arden ha e been selected by hi and hris for year round interest ith su er purples agentas and yello s colours for the autu n and shrubs to gi e structure in the inter hris for er editor of the aga ine he arden says e ha e got orna entals perennials grasses egetables like potatoes and courgettes and so e orna ental trees e put in earlier in the year atural ild o ers are ust co ing through nd e put in a ne hedge against the road to gi e us pri acy ’ e adds hat’s i portant for e is that you can be un ell ith ental health issues but connection ith nature ith the en iron ent ith co unity all these things are natural healers here’s so uch research no that sho s that connection ith nature and being outside is good for you ’ se of the garden by ind pace e bers and ia the groups that the organisation runs fro sketching to herbal orkshops ill ulti ately pro e its success urrently the garden is a ailable to the olunteer gardeners on a eekday ho e er there are plans for it to be accessible on aturdays in the not too distant future too ind out ore about the garden and opportunities to help in it or isit it fro ind pace at road treet and online at indspacesta ford co he charity has a ision to i pro e the ental health and ellbeing of local residents ro iding a range of co unity based groups it also partners ith local organisations and educational settings to encourage adults and children to support one another listen better and be able to better anage ental ellbeing

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Waterloo Cottage Farm Community Garden

Waterloo Cottage Farm Community Garden is an organic garden just outside Market Harborough

THE COMMUNITY GARDEN is situated behind the Waterloo Cottage farm shop in Great Oxendon just outside Market Harborough. It began in 2014 with lottery funding from Sustainable Harborough. The garden as de eloped on far land offered by the o ners and much of the development was completed by volunteers including construction of the polytunnel.

In 2018 Sustainable Harborough’s funding ended. The running of the garden was taken over by volunteers to run as a charity (CIO). A small committee meets regularly to organise the running of the garden with all volunteers meeting occasionally to plan what to grow.

The garden is organic with two volunteers training as master gardeners with Garden Organics in Ryton. A no dig regime (Charles Dowding) is also followed. The ethos is to educate people about gardening, to understand the importance of gardening with regards to wellbeing and health, caring for the environment and, of course, to grow food.

There are well established fruit trees and bushes which had been planted prior to the opening of the community garden. The garden consists of several beds growing a range of vegetables plus some raised accessible beds. Anyone can volunteer to join the garden. At present they have 10 regular volunteers. Volunteers go through a short training session and can then go to the garden whenever they want. Tuesday and Friday mornings are group gardening sessions but this is e ible nyone is elco e to visit the garden on these days and other days by arrangement.

All produce is shared by the volunteers with any excess going to the Farm Shop or visitors to the garden.

A series of events and workshops are held throughout the year including seed sowing, potato planting/picking, composting, pruning, apple pressing etc.

Grants have been received from the Co-op and Kelmarsh Windfarm Charity which has helped to replace the shed, build accessible beds and paths and to open up an additional area of land. Volunteers have built two brick paths using reclaimed bricks. Interest has been shown by a local doctors’ surgery to use the garden for mental health and wellbeing.

A beaver group from Market Harborough have been to the garden a couple of times learning about gardening and taking part in various activities. arlier this year a r fro ortha pton ca e to the garden for a works’ volunteering day and built an amazing pond. They are hoping to come again. Other groups are welcome as well.

Last year they were involved with Market Harborough Big Green Week with the garden being open to visitors and talks given on regenerative farming, essential oils and the use of plants for health. The same is planned for this year between September 18 – 26.

The team work closely with the farm and the farm shop. The shop supports events with refreshments and ad ertising hey al ays need ne olunteers offering whatever time they can and visitors are also very welcome so do pop along. If you are interested contact Kath Stephens - 07904 010715 or Waterloo Cottage Farm Shop 07976 263311.