Little Garden Explorers

The Pitch

Problem statement

Many of our local residents are Social Housing or Council tenants, who do not have gardens and the area is defined as having high green space deprivation. Our community is richly ethnically diverse and yet gardening and horticulture remains dominated by a middle class, Caucasian demographic. It is our responsibility to actively encourage our young people to engage with nature and cultivate an appreciation for gardening, wildlife and ecology; not only to bring about cultural change for a sustainable environment, but to furnish them with experiences and choices for their future, which many of us take for granted.

Solution

We would like to run a regular and affordable pre-school and parent group in the Phoenix Garden for our joint boroughs of Camden and Westminster. Each week the children will engage in garden based activities; Planting Seeds, Litter picking, Pond Dipping, Mud Kitchen, Garden Crafts, Nature Based Story time, Foraging, Healthy Snacks. Our aim is to create positive, informative and fun experiences in the garden to sow the seeds for an interest in nature and horticulture at a grass roots level, inspiring a sense of involvement in the garden and the ecological gardening practices we promote, and a sense of ownership for the space. The Funding will be used to invest in resources to facilitate this.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

The Phoenix Garden is already popular with children and families. Our Community Gardener has extensive experience working with a broad range of young people including; Neuro-Typical, Disabled, SEN, PMLD, EBD and EAL. He is therefore perfectly placed to inspire an interest and appreciation for gardening and wildlife through differentiated, fun and engaging activities. The Phoenix Garden is an established ornamental wildlife garden, the only space of it's kind in the area. supporting a healthy population of urban wildlife and promoting ecologically friendly gardening methods,the Garden has the potential to serve as an excellent informal, outdoor classroom for self-led and guided learning.

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

40 people

Expected impact

These sessions will directly impact members of our local community who are not exposed to gardening and nature in the same way that many of us take for granted. The demographic of our community means that we will impact those groups traditionally under-represented in horticulture. In the short term it will provide a space where children and their parents/carers can come together to learn about and appreciate gardening and nature, allowing them to access a safe outdoor space and the health benefits being exposed to greenery and wildlife. It will provide opportunities for education around food growing and healthy eating, ecological and environmentally friendly gardening practices and an appreciation and understanding of the importance and joy of wildlife gardening. The project will facilitate friendships that in the short and long term will aid continuing social cohesion, tolerance and support.

Track record

Last year we ran a series gardening sessions for local teenagers. This group of 20 were predominantly made up of BAME, Working Class participants. At the beginning of the project, they were asked if they visited or spent time in the garden. They expressed overwhelmingly that they didn't feel that the garden, or gardening, was for them. Over the course of the sessions we planted pumpkins that were later harvested for a Halloween Pumpkin festival, we foraged for tomatoes, plums and tried edible flowers, and visited the mounted police to collect manure for the compost bins. It has been our pleasure to welcome back at least 50% of the participants who returned to the garden of their own volition, to check on their plants, share an edible flower with a friend or take selfies.One participant commented that she enjoyed coming to the garden because it was peaceful and quiet and that she liked being able to call her friends on the phone in privacy without her family listening.

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