Cordwainers Grow is a Hackney based not for profit focusing on connecting people and place through discovery. Started by a group of neighbours who adapted an unloved strip of grass by the side of UAL into a community garden; it has grown into a locally owned, female led organisation, sharing knowledge, providing innovative projects and allowing women to take the lead in their community.
AIMS
- Teach people about their environment in engaging & interesting ways
- Bring people together to encourage a feeling of being a part of a community
- Provide a safe, welcoming space for participation & collaboration
- Provide opportunities for people to gain skills & knowledge
- Promote healthy lifestyles
- Promote & encourage volunteering
Current Projects
#HackneyBanner - Developing community embroidered banner to celebrate Hackneys green spaces with a variety of drop in classes, weekly embroidery club & links with other interested groups in the borough.
Garden Manifesto - We have joined up with gardens across Hackney to put together a manifesto for action to promote and protect community gardens in Hackney. You can read more about the manifesto here and sign it. Please use your garden’s email address if you have one.
Hackney Colour Wheel - After years of dabbling in natural dyeing, we finally got round to running a comprehensive series of colour workshops using plants from the garden and everyday waste : blue, red, yellow and our black hollyhocks. What spurred us was the closure of the garden. We are currently sourcing funding to turn our work into a book.
Hackney Gardens Map - Developed from the Garden Manifesto project we are in the process of mapping all community gardens in hackney and producing an easy to read guide that anyone can access. It is hoped this guide will contain the relevant information for prospective volunteers to get in touch with gardens and for use by Doctors as a social perscribing resource. This work is currently entirely volunteer led and funded.
