What do we do?

Bridgend Growing Communities is active all across Edinburgh, supporting community gardening projects and offering training for the growing band of people who appreciate the taste and healthy benefits of fresh fruit and veg., and want to grow their own. Listed below are some of the projects we're working on just now - if you are involved in a community food growing project in the city, or want to find out what it's all about, get in touch at chrism.bgc@gmail.com

Growing Greener Futures

BGC were awarded £10,000 by the Big Lottery’s ‘Awards For All’ fund in the autumn of 2011 to deliver training courses in 2012. In January we launched the “Growing Greener Futures” programme – a series of practical and theoretical sessions based on BGC’s Oatridge College-accredited “Introduction to Organic Gardening” course. To date, 53 people have attended these courses.

  

Braidwood Centre Garden

BGC has continued its partnership with Access to Industry’s ‘Transition’ programme, which helps recovering substance users into employment. We have been helping a team of volunteers from Transition to redevelop and grow produce in a garden space at Edinburgh City Council’s Braidwood Community Education Centre in Dumbiedykes. Ten trainees have attended the first phase of workshops, four of them successfully completing their “Introduction to Organic Gardening” certificate. Phase 2 begins in September.

Activity Agreements

BGC is working with City of Edinburgh Council to offer opportunities to young people leaving school without work or training placements. To date, four young people have come to Bridgend activities on Activity Agreements, and benefited from the inclusive nature of the project. There has been a particular emphasis on team-building skills, group-working, and an inter-generational approach.

Royal Caledonian Society’s Grow and Learn

BGC has been delivering the Royal Caledonian Society’s Grow and Learn award, a horticultural recognition of achievement for individuals with complex learning needs. We are delivering the award to 7 adults, additional support is being provided by the CEC Local Area Coordination team, and Forward Vision.  Individuals have to complete 20 different horticultural activities over 80 hours. Funding to enable this award is coming from the Baillie Thomas Trust. 

www.rchsgrowlearn.co.uk/award.html

http://www.royalblind.org/forwardvision/272/Contact.html

Artlink

BGC is working in collaboration with Artlink Edinburgh’s Arts for Mental Health project at Whyte Place on Lower London Road. The project utilises the green space within a Link Living housing association complex. The activities at Whyte Place have seen the development of an extensive food growing space within the internal quadrate of the estate. We have developed raised beds, a fruit area, and herbs and salad crops within the drying green and a potting shed fashioned from an old disused bike shed. This project encourage a variety of creative endeavours, from growing food and cooking the fresh ingredients, to trips out to places of natural interest, fishing around Edinburgh and beyond and the creation of bee-hives with the intention of beekeeping in the future.

www.facebook.com/ArtlinkEdinburgh

Acheson House

BGC is collaborating with Edinburgh World Heritage and the Patrick Geddes Gardening Club, part of the Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust, to develop a community food growing space in a lost old town historic walled garden. Local residents and members of PGGC, are inspired by 17^th century food growing gardens of the Cannongate. BGC from the initial consultation have continued to guide and support the community growers to realise the idea. This 17^th century ornamental food garden, contains raised beds with formal edible hedges, and a fruit area. The garden is part of the Cockburn Association Open Doors in 2012.

www.ewht.org.uk/news/221/101/Acheson-House-s-Hidden-Garden

www.eotdt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74&Itemid=59

Garvald Edinburgh

BGC have working with the Land Group from Garvald Edinburgh, providing them with a space at Bridgend Allotments to develop skills in horticultural, outdoor cooking, and a place to generally revel in the nature of the allotment. The Garvald Land Group have been attending weekly throughout the summer and autumn 2012, there are plans for further joint working in 2013.

www.garvaldedinburgh.org.uk

Inch House Community Garden

BGC have been supporting Inch House Management Committee to develop a food growing space in an unused area adjacent to the Inch House. This 17^th century mansion is owned by CEC and used as Community Education Centre. We have worked with local residents and the Teen Plus group to develop a social space for food growing with heritage varieties. Further to the establishment of raised beds, a space for fruit bushes and a compost area, there is potential for further exciting developments in 2013.

www.teensplus.org.uk

Edinburgh Slow Food Suppers

BGC teamed up with Edinburgh Slow Food for the second to year to host 2 further slow food suppers. Chefs came from The Gardeners Cottage and from The Waterside Bistro to cook with fresh ingredients from the allotment.    

www.slowfoodedinburgh.co.uk

A story telling event at Bridgend

BGC supported an intergenerational story telling event involving Bridgend Inspiring Growth (BIG), Liberton Primary school and residents of Inchview Carehome. This celebration of storytelling, supported community growing and the restoration of Bridgend Farmhouse. A book has been produced containing many of the stories, for a free copy please email bridgendfarmhse@gmail.com

http://bridgendfarmhse.blogspot.co.uk

Accredited training in food growing to Scottish Colleges / Universities and to Edinburgh Garden Partners

BGC delivered horticultural training course, an Introduction to Organic Gardening, accredited by Oatridge College, to 18 volunteers from the Edinburgh Garden Partners (EGP). The EGP program match people who want to garden with people who have space to share.  BGC also delivered this training to 22 students, supported by Universities and Colleges Transition Training, who came from 10 different education institutions throughout Scotland. The students came together to learn skills at Bridgend to take back to their campus allotments.

http://www.edinburghgardenpartners.org.uk

Gracemount Walled Garden

BGC supported a community event at the Gracemount Walled Garden in collaboration with South Edinburgh Healthy Living Initiative. We hosted for the event a wellie boot throwing competition. Along with raising the profile of this public space, we helped to identify the interest of the walled garden as a potential space for food growing. The top prize was the golden wellie, along with a water pistol, which was to potentially aid watering plants, as well as friends! All children participating received packets of flower seeds.

www.health-in-mind.org.uk/services/south-edinburgh-healthy-living-initiative.html

“Your Allotment – a guide to NOT losing the plot!”
BGC ran this new course for the City Of Edinburgh Council’s Allotment Strategy Group during 2011, and it is being offered again in 2012

This course is aimed at helping and supporting plot-holders, new and established, through a complete growing season on their allotment. Subjects covered include ground preparation, choosing which crops to grow, seed sowing and composting.

In 2011, 22 individual plot-holders signed up for this course. This year it is being taught at two sites in the city – Inverleith Park and Dumbryden.

Do you have an allotment in Edinburgh and would like to learn more about how to make better use of it?

Are you on the waiting list for a plot and not sure what you’ll be taking on?

Yes? Then this course might be for you!

Contact Chris via chrism.bgc@gmail.com for further information or to register
.