Bring our Community Garden back to life!

The Pitch

Problem statement

Health inequalities in the area are driven by a number of factors, two of which are access to green spaces and poor air quality. Research by the ONS found a wide range of evidence showing the positive impacts of access to green spaces on physical and mental wellbeing. A 2019 meta-analysis found that nature connection and pro-environmental behaviour were strongly correlated. In some parts of RBKC only 61% of people have access to private outdoor space. RBKC is the London borough with the 7th highest level of air pollution(12.1μg/m3), with figures significantly higher than the average for England (9.0μg/m3). Neighbourhoods in RBKC are also among the 20% with the poorest air quality in the UK.

Solution

During the lockdowns of 2020/21 our centre was closed and our existing community garden was unfortunately neglected. We want to reinstate our gardening groups and revamp the garden in partnership with local residents to create a space where people can spend time in nature and connect with members of the community. Funding will pay for gardening tools, plants, staff costs and marketing of the groups. We want to improve the space so people have somewhere to come and spend time in nature, learn new skills and meet new people at the same time as improving the local environment and air quality by planting more plants and greenery.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

We have an existing community garden space and pre-lockdown we ran regular gardening groups in partnership with RBKC Community Gardeners. Therefore we have the skills and expertise in terms of knowing which plants and herbs will be best suited to our space. Clients of all ages have attended these groups in the past to learn about planting seeds, harvesting vegetables and herbs and weeding etc. We have a core group who would be excited to take part in the project and we hope that by rejuvenating the garden we will create an even greener space for people to come and spend time in and enjoy both connecting with nature and with each other.

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

35 people

Expected impact

In terms of the physical space improving, we expect this to be significant and tangible and can provide before and after photographs to demonstrate the improvement the funding will have. We are going to clear rubbish from the site, weed the raised beds and plant more bulbs, herbs, vegetable and other plants. By doing this we will not only be making the space greener, safer and more welcoming for the local community but will be improving the air quality for local residents too. In terms of taking part in the project itself we will have baseline wellbeing measures for any clients who take part in our gardening sessions, including questions such as; - I’ve been feeling useful - I’ve been feeling good about myself - I’ve been feeling close to other people - I’ve been interested in new things Clients will then complete the questionnaires again after attending a number of sessions and we hope that 70% of attendees will score higher on these measures after taking part in the groups.

Track record

We have been running our community gardening group since 2016 when we first had help from the RBKC gardeners to develop our herb garden, build new planters and set up the raised beds. Since then over 50 clients have attended the groups and even more local residents have benefitted from the beautiful sights, smells and sounds of the garden as they pass by! We have held workshops around herbs, winter veg and pollinators in partnership with the Pollinator Paths project as part of London Sustainability Exchange. We have also held workshops for families during half term where young people came to plant wildflowers and hunt for minibeasts. In 2019 we also ran a Nutrition and Gardening course which combined sessions on healthy eating with gardening. Some quotes from clients; “More confidence with gardens and food and more motivation to eat fresh food it was a beautiful experience” and “This is very good for me because it gave me the opportunity to learn and meet new people".

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