Petworth Community Garden is a thriving, wheelchair accessible organic garden, created by the community, for the community. Inspired in 2005 by a Garden Organic Project, 'Organic Food for All', the idea was to offer an opportunity for local people with limited means to be able to learn to grow fresh free organic fruit and vegetables, and to take home a free share of the harvest. We now help those in our community who volunteer with us improve their lives & opportunities each year through social and therapeutic community gardening and related projects. We have always engaged a diverse group of locals; old and young, some with physical or mental health issues, adults with learning difficulties, low income families or jobseekers; the great thing about the group is that we are able to drop our ‘labels’, and just enjoy gardening together as an integrated group. We offer an inclusive, wheelchair accessible, safe and supported space for all members of our community to enjoy learning, working and sharing skills in our wildlife, organic community garden setting; enhancing wellbeing, integration and community cohesion. Our main activities are: 'Learn and Grow' Tuesdays, where we learn all aspects of organic and permaculture gardening, according to need and ability, with a focus on upskilling and employability; Therapeutic Thursdays, a sensory session aimed at those with specialised, therapeutic needs; 'Plot to Plate' organic cooking sessions; Wednesday 'Men's Shed’; where local men come and create beautiful rural crafts to sell at local fetes and events; Outreach to local community organisations; we work with local care homes and schools, helping to run projects in the gardens we have created there.
