The idea
We need your help to develop our award winning community garden. We will work with local community organisations, residents, and our incredible team of volunteers, to realise the garden’s full potential. We shall design and build an outdoor eating and teaching space, a garden trail, and a sensory herb garden, to engage many more people, spark curiosity, and nurture learning.
As an extension of our community café, we will create a calming outdoor seating area surrounded by a beautiful sensory plant and herb garden allowing you to connect with nature. This new green social space is for everyone, accessible at all times, to benefit the whole community. OsNosh and our community partners will host a summer wellbeing programme helping those struggling with social isolation, mental health, and wellbeing. The incredible garden space will be cared for by our volunteers and neighbours, so that you and the rest of the community can use and enjoy it for years to come.
What we'll deliver
- A vibrant outdoor social seating and eating area
- Outdoor kitchen area for education and events
- Community arts sessions to build an amazing garden mural
- A sensory herb garden - made up of beautiful herb and flower beds
- A whole programme of gardening, wellbeing and educational sessions
- Tools to build and cultivate
- Arts and crafts materials
- Outdoor kitchen equipment
- Garden project lead
Why it's a great idea
Our project will allow our community to immerse themselves within nature. Many don’t have the opportunity at home to interact with green spaces or to grow. By building on our existing garden we are creating a safe, educational, and enjoyable environment for everyone to experience, take ownership of and build a deeper connection with nature.
This will be of particular benefit to those who struggle with their mental and physical wellbeing. Our programme of summer activities will support these individuals to develop their self-esteem and confidence and will provide a natural pathway into volunteering opportunities.
This project delivers a new green destination for our entire community, creating a space for local people and wildlife to connect and thrive.
Steps to get it done
- Design of the OsNosh Outdoors space working with local community groups, residents and volunteers
- Installation, building and planting of sensory herb garden and outdoor eating and socialising space
- Community art sessions to create a vibrant mural celebrating our connection with nature
- Community art sessions and workshops to help create signs for our garden trail and sensory herb garden
- Start of our summer wellbeing programme
Additional benefits:
The sensory herb garden and raised beds will be engaging and stimulating with useful herbs and plants to use in our surplus-based meals. These herbs will also be used in workshops to teach their culinary and traditional uses and cuttings can be taken from these plants and be offered to our community through plant sales/swaps.
The garden will be an attractive and inviting space all year round; to educate and interact with passers-by and spark curiosity. We will achieve this by creating educational signs and artwork for the garden through community art days and garden sessions. The garden will be both a sensory adventure and an educational tool to use during our work with disengaged/SEND children and young adults.
