Redcliffe originally wanted to have a community vegetable growing space to support people, especially in times of food poverty. Since then, they have stretched out across various locations, enhancing areas for wildlife, including planting hedgerows, orchards, and wildflowers, and now looking into creating a pond. Another resident has been inspired and would like to create an area for wildlife on their green space at Yeoman tower block.
In the south of Redcliffe, residents have been working together with Sarah, the Missioner from local community centre Faithspace to turn a neglected area of land on the estate into a community garden. Residents such as Marky have been gardening on the estate for years, but Sarah decided to apply for help from Nextdoor Nature back in 2022 in order to create a space for the neighbourhood to gather and to increase biodiversity on the estate.
Community Organiser Tay, alongside Sarah, completed lots of door-knocking and spoke to the local community about what they would like. Whilst some of the community were cynical about anything built being vandalised, others were enthusiastic and keen to be involved. Working with the council and Tay resulted in the group going on some Woodworking training and they built some planters in the garden that were then filled with compost and vegetable seedlings and flowers. Thanks to Tay creating connections, the group were able to share ideas with other community groups in Bristol and a lovely sense of sharing best practice and working together was adopted.
“I tried to do a nature trail with some kids a couple of years ago, and there was nothing for them to really see. So, we let the verge grow all the way up the side and put in some wildflowers as well as the veg, and we’ve had red admiral butterflies, speckled wood, holly blues and damselfly.”
Creating a haven for wildlife in the centre of built-up Redcliffe has been very meaningful for Tay, Sarah and the rest of the group. Making the space look cared for and being able to provide seasonal healthy meals at the community centre using the veg grown in the garden has been a wonderful result. Sarah shared her advice on what she would tell other community groups trying to start a similar community garden project.
1. Don’t stop before you start. People will tell you “It will get vandalised” and “nobody is interested” but on the whole people will be really pleased and pat you on the back to say good job!”
2. Get in touch with all the agencies that are relevant to what you’re doing and get their help and their support. Bristol Council have been good, sometimes we’ve had to navigate who to talk to but once people know what you’re doing, you’ll find there’s a lot of support.
3. Encourage as many different people as possible to be involved, keep talking and talking about it. The more you have to show people, the more they’ll get the idea. The raised beds were brilliant for that, because very obviously a garden has appeared here.
Over the two years the group has created a new wildlife area with planters, areas left uncut and meadow flowers, planted an orchard at Patterson House, woodland wildflowers at Somerset Square, bulbs, soft fruit bushes, fruit trees and hedgerow at Chatteron House. In the last few months of the project a new resident in Redcliffe has been attending the gardening group. It has inspired her to want to improve the green space at Yeoman House.
