The idea
Greening Wingrove & Arthur's Hill manages the bike garden: a restored bowling pavillion in Nuns Moor Park which is home to Northern Slice coffee shed, Bonsai Billabong and Dr Bike. The space has been a lifeline to many during the pandemic and is an oasis of green. Now we want to turbo charge activity there by:
- activating our store of bicycles on the site (worth £3,000) by running cycle tours, events and workshops and developing a community led plan for extending the cycle network
- running a summer food market showcasing food grown in the garden and surrounding streets via our vertical veg initiative
- increasing participation with a programme of events centred on music and local, sustainable food
- sourcing locally seeded trees from Bonsai Billabong for a resident-led tree planting programme, using this to inform a local biodiversity plan
- developing a green food business at the bike garden to support Northern Slice
What we'll deliver
- Run 8 cycle tours
- Run 8 "Dr Bike" workshops
- Create 1 community-led plan for extending the cycle network
- Run 1 summer food market
- Run 8 events based around music and local food
- Plant 100 trees in front and back yards and the local area
- Support 1 new food business at the bike garden
Why it's a great idea
The project will reach out to the community and draw in volunteers to secure the future of the space. It will increase local interest in sustainable travel and nature-based responses to climate change (see our video here: https://youtu.be/Exk7yQYhG5M) including local management of the park and local growing of food. It will widen participation in what is the most diverse part of north east England. This community development work will be the basis for ensuring policy on sustainable transport and climate sensitive development responds to community needs.
Steps to get it done
- Employ a co-ordinator to lead on delivering the project
- Develop an events plan and programme
- Agree formal terms with Dr Bike
- Purchase trees from Bonsai Billabong
- Review our social media presence and member onboarding, dovetail with events plan
