This has been an amazing experience encompassing a diverse and exciting range of projects and events. In the community events calendar, the Food Plymouth Growing Community Abundance local food stall and its support team has been at the Plymouth Hope Festival at the Brickfields, Devonport Park, the Food Plymouth takes over The Clipper event, St Levan Summer Fair at St Levan’s Road and theStoke Village & Blockhouse Park Summer Fair. This has been a great opportunity to raise awareness of local sustainable and healthy food issues and the richness of community gardens and orchards across the city. July has also been busy with 12 of Plymouth’s community gardens opening their gates to the public. There has been great feedback from visitors. At the Stonehall Flats Community Garden in Stonehouse on 6th July, one of the ladies who is instrumental in the Stonehouse in Bloom initiative told Food Plymouth that she was amazed to discover that there were so many community gardens across the City, commenting that “I don’t feel so alone anymore!” Food Plymouth’s Tess Wilmot said that one of her personal highlights in the series was visiting theCattedown Community Waste Ground Garden on 12th July. Tess observes that this such an inspiring project, converting a neglected area at the end of a road into a beautiful space for pollinating insects and creating an attractive feature to be enjoyed by anyone walking past. On 15th July, residents from the Mountwise Towers in Devonport showed their growing spaces, including vegetables growing in special self-watering wooden planters made by a resident, along with the Winter Garden, the edible hedges, the herb garden and wildflower areas. Keyham Green Places was open on Monday 15th and Thursday 18th July, with visitors enjoying a tour of the garden, the woodland walk and the allotments area. Much fruit was picked, including redcurrants and masses of early blackberries. There was considerable interest in their mini allotments, with at least one person determined to sign up as soon as possible. In the morning of 20th July, Collings Park Trust, Higher Compton welcomed visitors to see their lovely and productive community growing space. They kindly donated freshly harvested runner beans, broad beans and onions for the Food Plymouth stall at Stoke Fair the following day. On the afternoon and evening of 20th July, the Medicinal Garden at Thorn Park, Mannamead was open as part of a very busy charity event. It was organized by the Park Pharmacy Trust which has an amazing display of old Victorian items on show, including pill rolling gadgets and medicinal herbs of all kinds, many of which are grown in the garden. Coming Up – We are coming to the end of a month of open Community Gardens with just three more to visit: On Sunday 28th July you can visit a tiny courtyard garden which is the focus of a permaculture redesign within an exciting new project. This is being led by Helen Moore who attended the Permaculture Design Course run in Stonehouse this spring. One of Helen’s designs is ‘Pete’s Garden’ which has been created as a starting point for a residents’ permaculture gardening group in Adelaide Street, Stonehouse, the ‘Adelaide Street Angels’. The ‘angels’ are members of the local community working together to find ways in which they can improve their area. The venue for the visit is Pete’s Garden – 36 Adelaide Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth, PL1 3JF. The Adelaide Street Angels are being supported by a ‘Street to Scale’ grant from the Plymouth Octopus Project (POP+) Esmee Fairbairn fund. Contact details: Helen 07828071496. Helen and Pete will be available to talk about permaculture, the garden design and the Adelaide Street Angels initiative. On Tuesday 30th July, you can visit the edible landscape gardens at the Beacon, North Prospect, alongside the Homes Expo celebrating 100 years of Social Housing. There will be face painting, a BBQ, selfie mirror, fancy dress competition, gardening workshops, vintage board games, vintage sweet making and ancestry searching. It runs from 10am to 4pm. On the same day, an easy walk from the Beacon, you can visit the Museum House and Garden at 3 Laurel Road, North Prospect. Cllr Tina Tuohy, who has worked tirelessly on this project, will be there to show you around the garden and the exhibition in the house showcasing the lives and history of North Prospect’s people and homes. |