Squash is a people-powered community organisation, rooted & home-grown in Liverpool 8 since 2010, committed to positive social change in our neighbourhood through regenerative urban agriculture & community food enterprise. For over a decade we’ve worked to make Windsor Street into a vibrant urban food place inc. a community-designed therapeutic garden, seed library & eco-building housing a community food shop & vegetarian cafe. The Community Micro Farm will be a new & exciting community space that will: - transform derelict land into bio-diverse growing space - grow nutritious crops like salad leaves, mushrooms & herbs - create a plant nursery of multicultural food, flower & medicinal plants - provide a youth training programme - be an inter-generational space to share existing skills & skill up local residents in urban food & flower growing - provide a sustainable income stream to help fund on-going, free community horticulture & wellbeing activities

What we'll deliver:

• We'll make good a piece of derelict land through clearing, levelling & rectifying to make sure it's safe to use for all
• We'll install a polytunnel, shed, raised beds, soil, composting, fencing & gates
• We'll install disability access
• We'll install workspace for indoor & outdoor growing prep plus a seating & fire area for community gatherings

Why it's a great idea:

The Squash Micro Farm will: - improve local people’s access to nutritional food - teach community members, especially young people, the skills to feed themselves well - co-produce a community owned green space which is beautiful, well-used and which makes people proud - create opportunities for improved community cohesion, for neighbours to meet each other by stewarding public space together - help develop new enterprise and community business, developing a more economically resilient neighbourhood - make lasting change by create a skilled-up team of Urban Farmers - create a dynamic space that will continue to grow healthy, fresh and delicious food for years to come support young people; nurturing passions and developing the next generation of environmentally-conscious community leaders

Steps to get it done:

• We'll clear the land of rubble and other debris
• We'll level the land so it can be worked upon
• We'll run community design, participation & consultation sessions
• We'll recruit project worker
• We'll recruit young people and other community volunteers
• We'll install the polytunnel, staging & internal raised beds
• We'll install the shed
• We'll create the external seating & working area including firepit
• We'll install the fencing and gates
• We'll install the disability access path
• We'll install the external raised beds, line and fill with soil
• We'll host progress sessions with wider community
• We'll plant shrubs/bushes & trees
• We'll begin seed propagation
• We'll install signage
• We'll invite wider community to launch event