Outdoor space in the city brings people together like nothing else.
We're looking for support in our project to turn this forgotten area into an amazing community space, where local people can meet up and enjoy time outdoors together, relaxing and keeping fit, healthy and happy. This land has been unused for many years and is now a bit of a dumping ground that looks rather neglected.
Where possible the garden will be built from locally sourced materials and include trees, perennial shrubs, walkways and benches where people can meet new friends, catch up and enjoy getting a little closer to nature. We’ll also include flowers selected especially for pollenating insects as this space is going to be for them too.

What we'll deliver:

• Installing seating and pathways
• Planting vegetables, shrubs and flowers to attract pollenating insects
• We'll take down the metal fences surrounding the area

Why it's a great idea:

This garden is part of a wider project helping to raise environmental awareness in the local area. The garden will be maintained by local volunteers and an existing group of gardeners with learning disabilities, helping them build on their experience and supporting their access to work.
The space will also be used to help grow fruit and vegetables. These will be used by people with learning disabilities at our local resource centre to make chutneys which will be available for sale to the general public under an existing food business, Sujamki. All proceeds will be reinvested into this initiative, giving the people we support the opportunity to develop the knowledge required to create a product and take it to market, building confidence and developing life skills along the way.

Steps to get it done:

• We'll be using our existing volunteer gardeners to help maintain the garden
• We'll have a dedicated project manager to oversee development of the garden
• We'll use existing grants to deliver additional funding

This project takes a beautiful outdoor space from behind a fence and puts it into the hands of local people; increasing community engagement, improving local health and well being, furthering sustainability at a local level and supporting adults with learning disabilities.

Thanks for your support!