surviving Eunice
We were very lucky at space2grow as the garden suffered minor damage in storm Eunice. The fruit cage frame, greenhouses and some of the pole artworks created by Creative Response suffered in the high winds but these were all fixed by our wonderful volunteers.
The O2 arena was shredded in storm Eunice but our tarpaulin covered bodger's shelter survived unharmed - clearly a masterpiece of structural engineering!
making connections
Our founder and trustee Lou recently visited the Sustainability Institute in the Western Cape in South Africa and noticed a lot of similarity with space2grow, albeit in sunnier climes! They too have a big shed but instead of cooking and parenting courses they use theirs for recycling. As you can see from these pictures they also enjoy decorating their space with bunting. At this time of year they have more success growing veg as it is the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This is the first visit of hopefully many, making connections with, and learning from other organisations like ours across the UK and around the world. If you know of a community like space2grow who would like to link up with us do get in touch.
in our garden
With minimal maintenance needed in the garden at this time of year the main focus for our garden volunteers has been the pond. The old liner and carpet covering were removed and depth levels checked. The old carpet dug up from around the acre has been re-used to create shelves for plants under the decking. Amazing work from our wonderful volunteers in cold and muddy conditions. They always rise to a challenge! A new pond liner will be arriving soon and we can't wait to fill the pond and add plants.
reflections from the acre
We hope you enjoy Rupert's reflections. A new volunteer who always works hard and bakes some exceedingly good cakes too!
I heard about about space2grow from a volunteer who I met while doing conservation work with the ranger at Farnham Park. I arranged a visit and started coming earlier this year. It's really interesting working in a community garden project working with, and learning from other people. The title space2grow is really apt as I'm learning all the time and broadening my mind. I'm learning plant names and learning about seasonal growing. This is the first time I've worked on a pond so I've been learning all the time about that and I'm looking forward to continuing the work.
Being outdoors and working with nature is brilliant for my mental health. I like to grow things I can eat and really enjoy cooking so it's great for me to come and work in the garden.
If you would like to share what the acre means to you please email info@space2grow.space - we love hearing everyones reflections.
As always, we are working hard to ensure that space2grow remains a Covid safe site so please email info@space2grow.space prior to your visits, bring your own food and drink, take any rubbish home and please adhere to social distancing.
Thank you and see you soon!