Community garden sprouts on Hackney Homes estate
Green fingered Clapton residents came out recently to celebrate the opening of their new community garden.
The project, supported by Hackney Homes and charity Groundwork introduced a food growing garden to an unused area of Webb estate, Clapton.
Residents were involved throughout the planning and building of the new garden and were recognised with a certificate presentation on the day.
Chair of Webb Estate, Fabiana De Lazzer said: “The project has been great for bringing everyone together. It also gets the children involved in gardening. Although we are a small estate, we’ve seen new faces and new families as a result of the garden. It’s also rewarding to know we’ve grown our own vegetables.”
Young and old residents alike attended the opening on Saturday 13 December, as they gathered to enjoy hot chocolate and homemade cakes around a wood fire. Many of the young people also assisted with making Christmas wreaths using leaves and sticks from the garden.
Those on the estate interested in gardening have been allocated a space to plant vegetables, herbs or flowers. Courgettes, tomatoes, garlic and onions are some of the vegetables that have been planted with many sharing and exchanging food.
Groundwork Community Gardener, Ruth Arnott said: “The residents’ endless enthusiasm has been the driving force behind the creation of this treasured community garden. It’s been a pleasure working alongside residents throughout the 2014 growing season and watching the garden thrive.”
This project builds on the community spirit of the area by bringing residents together to achieve a common goal. In addition, it’s a great way of improving the health and wellbeing of residents by producing healthy, low-cost food.
If you are interested in starting a community project where you live, contact the resident participation team on 020 8356 7845 for information and support available.