Weekend of celebration ahead for London’s community gardens

By Alexandra Causer

This weekend community growing spaces across London will offer up a whole crop of activities encouraging people to get growing this Spring.

 The Good to Grow weekend of action is taking place from Friday 23rd to Monday 26th April at 60 community growing spaces across the UK, 30 of which are in London.

Among those taking part are

• Central Hill Residents Association Community Garden, Lambeth 
• Bandstand Beds Association (BBA) community garden, Clapham 
• Edible Rotherhithe, Southwark 
• Phipps Bridge Community Garden, Merton  
• Surrey Square School, Southwark

Visitors can enjoy in-person and virtual garden tours, craft activities, seed sowing and the opportunity to meet neighbours and learn some of the horticultural skills needed to grow your own food.

Gardens and growing spaces participating across the UK can be found on the Good to Grow map (LINK) or contact your nearest community garden to find out what green-fingered activities they have going on.

Event organiser Sustain’s Capital Growth Coordinator Fiona McAllister said: “We’ve been blown away by how resilient and agile urban food gardens have been over the past year responding to the pandemic, either by engaging their volunteers and garden users remotely and supporting them to grow more at home, or by scaling up their food production and donating to people in their neighbourhoods who need access to affordable, healthy and fresh produce the most.

 “The Good to Grow Day feels like the perfect opportunity to celebrate all this amazing work and bring people together to sow some seeds of hope for 2021.”

 With world leaders making big pledges at the virtual climate summit on Earth Day this week, the Good to Grow Day is well-timed to catch the attention of keen new volunteers across the capital.

Community gardens have become particularly valuable assets this year by helping communities through the emergency food response, supporting mental health and providing a connection between people during what has been a lonely time for many.

Local Action Officer for Sustainable Food Places Ren Piercey said: “This year has been challenging for absolutely everyone but it’s been amazing to see so many new people getting involved in food growing, whether at a local community garden or on a windowsill.

“It’s now more important than ever to get the whole family and your community interested in eating healthily and these community growing spaces are doing just that.

“I’m delighted to celebrate the achievements of so many gardens who are joining the Good to Grow Day this April.”

Good to Grow is an online platform supporting food growth in the UK and is run by the food and farming alliance Sustain.

 It was initiated in 2012 by Capital Growth, one of Sustain’s projects and London’s largest food growing network.

PICTURED: Jazz at Josiah Brathwaite Community Garden in Shepherds Bush. Credit – Emily Munster