In the summer of 2019 we launched our first Aylesbury Garden Town Community Food Growing project, in partnership with Community GROW and St Peter’s Church, in the heart of the neighbourhood in Quarrendon.
Community Food Growing supports local sustainable food production and helps people to create a garden together on a piece of land that they all have access to. The fruit and vegetables that they grow are shared with one another and the wider community as well.
The project is based on ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’:
1. Connect with people
2. Be active
3. Take notice of the world around you
4. Keep learning and try something new
5. Give some time to help others
We’ve seen the pleasure and satisfaction community food growing gives to everyone involved, bringing together lots of local groups including neighbours, families, retirees, volunteers, faith groups, schools and businesses.
We have a number of Community Food Growing Projects now underway in Aylesbury Garden Town. As well as St. Peter’s Church in Quarrendon, these include one at The Healthy Living Centre at Walton Court and our latest addition, the Bierton Community Allotment. If you’d like to be part of a Community Food Growing project, or event start on yourself, just click the link and Get Involved.
Sowing the seeds of a healthy, happy and connected neighbourhood
St. Peter’s Church – Quarrendon
In the summer of 2019 we launched our first Aylesbury Garden Town community food growing project, in partnership with Community GROW and St. Peter's Church, in the heart of the comunity in Quarrendon.
The garden now has a wide group of volunteers to help maintain it and ensure there’s plenty of delicious produce grown. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the garden provided a haven for residents to enjoy time outdoors safely. Planning is now underway for the 2021 season, with additional beds being brought on stream.
Under the leadership of the church and with the help of local residents, a much-needed wooden cabin with tools shed has now been built, to provide the gardeners with a place to meet, chat, share a cup of tea and a place to shelter when it rains.
The Healthy Living Centre
The Healthy Living Centre Community Food Growing Project got underway in early January 2020. With the help of volunteers, the forecourt and patio area outside the centre was cleared of shrubs, spring bulbs planted and preparations made to build raised beds and put in a Potager Garden area.
As with many community projects, the Covid-19 lockdown put plans on hold, but in the first week of August a team of twelve young people from the National Citizen Service helped out to get things back on track. They put in an impressive 56-hours of voluntary work and with the support of grounds maintenance company, Idverde, tidied up the garden site.
Once the pandemic is over, volunteers from the community will be invited to help complete the garden. Funding was provided by Aylesbury Garden Town for the initial work and a grant has been secured from LHC Communities Fund, to take it forward for the coming year. A grant has also been awarded to the Healthy Living Centre by Aylesbury Garden Town to run a cookery course for local residents using the produce that’s been grown.
Bierton Community Allotment
The idea for the Bierton Community Allotment came from local resident and former teacher, Louise Gattward, who was keen to continue the community spirit fostered through lockdown and to provide opportunities for people to come together with a shared interest. She had three main aims for the project:
- To offer a safe space to enjoy the outdoors with others, promoting positive mental well-being.
- To learn from each other the benefits of growing and harvesting your own produce.
- To overcome barriers to social inclusion.
Aylesbury Garden Town was delighted to support Louise in creating the community allotment, working in partnership with Bierton Parish Council. To find out more and to get involved visit their Facebook page.
Let’s Get Growing – our online gardening community!
Aylesbury Garden Town’s Let Get Growing Facebook group was initially set up in response to the Covid-19 crisis, to help support, encourage and connect people locally, who were growing their own fruit and vegetables. You don’t need to have any previous experience, you don’t even need a garden, a little pot on a windowsill will do!
There’s nothing like eating fresh produce that you’ve grown yourself, it’s great for both physical and mental health. More people are now doing it than ever before. In our Let’s Get Growing group members can share updates and tips about growing. So, what are you waiting for, Let’s Get Growing!