christmas wreaths & kokodarma balls
Our garden volunteers enjoyed a very festive last session where they made wreaths from willow, berries and foliage found amongst the garden. Led by Susie, it was a chance to get creative and have some fun. Each wreath was so unique. With a base made of willow, foliage such as ivy, berries, rosehips, teasels, dried hydrangea, holly and pine cones were then added. The braziers were lit and large pans of chai tea and spiced apple juice kept everyone warm.
The group also managed to successfully make Kokodama, Japanese moss planting balls! Thank you to Susie for all the preparation involved in the Christmas activities and thank you to all of our volunteers for the amazing work done in the garden this year.
space2grow christmas tree
The space2grow communi-tree was the perfect place to hang the christmas decorations made during the teen wellbeing sessions from Farnham Heath End School and Weydon School. The children have enjoyed christmas activities for the last few weeks from making decorations, to christmas wreaths and ending this terms sessions with marshmallows and hot chocolate.
a full term of parenting courses
We have come to the end of two Talking Teens courses that have been running this Autumn and we are so proud to be able to offer these courses in Farnham. A huge thank you to Farnham Town Council for supporting the Talking Teens courses for all of 2024. We also completed our 8 week Nurturing Programme supported by the National Lottery Community Fund.
We know that the benefit of these courses can be felt within families for years, improving relationships and helping to create a less stressful home life.
'This course has been incredibly important for me personally & for my whole family and I'm seeing the effects of it daily in different ways. I feel so supported & much stronger as a parent now. The course was brilliantly facilitated in an amazing supportive atmosphere - thank you so much! So informative, inclusive & really life changing for me. Came at just the right time to make a massive difference'
We are already planning the courses in the Spring, if you are interested or know families that will benefit please email info@theparentingspace.space
mug shot!
We were delighted to be invited to Farnham Town Council's Farnham in Bloom Celebration and see that the gift that they had made for participants was a mug that featured the bug house made by the Men in Sheds Team for GreenUp Britain!
It felt like a very fitting celebratory end to a very productive year for the team, as well as the bug house the team have (amongst many other jobs);
created a storage unit for artwork at the museum of Farnham
created medals for the Hackney School visit
repaired notice boards for Farnham Town Council and St Andrew's School
fixed the damaged waggon wheels for the planter outside the Council offices
created a giant deck chair for the Bourne Carnival
built a new shed for the Shepherds court retirement complex
created a reading throne for St Michael's School
refurbished an old barrow for the space2grow gardening team
repaired lots and lots of benches!
ho ho ho!
As the chosen charity this year for Squires Badshot Lea, we received a very special invite to officially unveil the centre’s magical Christmas grotto – and importantly to be the first visitors to meet Santa!
As the centre’s ‘charity of the Year’ the grotto will raise some important funds, with £1 from every child’s ticket sold going directly to space2grow. . HUGE thank you to the Squires Team and to father Christmas for fitting us in at such a busy time.
The grotto is open right up until Christmas Eve and you don;t need to book, just purchase ticket when you arrive.
Click HERE above to play short video of the magical visit
The winter space2play sessions ran right til the end of term and the children came in all weathers and thoroughly enjoyed it all. The odd frosty morning we've had was enjoyed and the new gravel pit has been a huge success through the winter months. The sessions are ready to be booked for the next term so if you are interested please email play@space2grow.space
reflections from the acre...
Carolyn, one of our garden Volunteers who joined us earlier in the year kindly shares her thoughts of the garden and the project:
''I found space2grow on the RHS volunteers website and then I got in touch and did a 'taster' session. I like the gardening but I also like that it's a community based project, so not only do you get to meet other people in the community while you are doing it but that it's benefiting other people in the process'
'It's nice because there's a lot of different people, a lot of different characters so you get to meet people you wouldn't necessarily get to meet elsewhere and there's a lot of interconnection with other community groups with event based things like the big lunch'
'I enjoy being outside and being with other people and I do miss it when I can't come, I've been on shifts at the moment so haven't been able to do it as much, but I enjoy being outside and being physical. It's a really nice space and I like that it's a bit wild and there's natural gardening involved and trying to be respectful of the space as well'
Huge thanks to all of our volunteers who make this little acre of wild garden such a magical place for the local community to enjoy.
Seasonal greetings to all our community friends and projects - in particularly the groups we have enjoyed hosting this year from FADEG, the drama improv group to Creative Response. We look forward to the year ahead!
We would also like to thank all our funders and supporters throughout the year, without whom all these activities wouldn't be possible. From organisations such as Farnham Town Walks to the Dempster Trust, Farnham Lions, The Farnham Round Table the Farnham & Weyside Rotary Club and the Hedgehogs. All have continued to support us this year. A special thank you for the Squires Badshot Lea team and to Farnham Town Council for their support and the Community Foundation for Surrey and the Waverley Thriving Communities fund. We appreciate it all so much, as do all those who come and enjoy the space.
Finally a thank you to the National Lottery Community fund, we are all looking forward to 2025!
We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year. Please come and see what we're up to in 2025!