Sheffield’s community gardens, and why we think they’re fab!
From small patches of land tucked away in the middle of housing estates, to projects that are saving people from food poverty, we're singing the praises of all things green and great!
Sheffield is often called “The green city” and it really does live up to its name. There’s a thriving locally grown movement rippling though the city, with big and small projects bringing locally grown produce to people all over Sheffield. This week is Community Garden Week, so we wanted to introduce you to some of the wonderful organisations that are making big differences to peoples lives.
What’s so great about community gardens?
These spaces are so much more than just a place to grow flowers or vegies. They give people a place to connect with nature and escape from the pressures of everyday life. Growing and nurturing plants forces us to slow down and appreciate what’s going on in that moment, helping to reduce stress and anxiety and improving feelings of wellbeing. Coming together with a group of like minded people to grow and harvest your own produce is a great way to meet new friends and get involved with your community, no matter what your experience or ability is!
Small community gardens in Sheffield…
There’s a whole host of small community growing spaces across Sheffield. Some are hidden away in walled gardens in our parks, or carved out of long forgotten wasteland. These projects are bringing communities together and helping people to access healthy, home grown produce!
Woodhouse Community Garden on Sheffield Road. Local residents and volunteers have transformed a patch of derelict land into a productive community garden that is used to promote healthy eating.
Gardening for wellbeing at Oasis. Based at Grimesthorpe allotments, Oasis welcomes people of all ages and abilities to come and have a go at growing their own veg.
Herdings Food Growers is a project run by Reach South Sheffield that encourages local people to come and try their hand at growing their own food. The orchard and polytunnel provide lots of opportunities for learning, and you can even have a go at making planters and benches from recycled materials.
Grow St Mary’s on Bramhall Lane is a churchyard plot that welcomes volunteers that want to grow their own veg and help with garden tasks.
Arbourthorne Community Allotment is tucked away next to the Spires Centre on Eastbank Road. I live just a few minutes away and had no idea it was there until last year! No experience needed, just turn up and start digging!
Wild At Heart - Not a community garden, as such, but a wonderful project that runs nature-based activities for over 50’s. Get together for a natter and to learn about wildlife gardening, wild cooking and more.
Roots & Bloom Sheffield. Yes, that’s us! 2020 was a bumpy ride and we still haven’t been able to move to our new space, but once we do we’ll be running weekly drop in days where you can learn how to grow cut flowers and help to make the bouquets that we sell. We’ll also be looking for volunteers to help run our young onset dementia support sessions. If you’d like to know more, you can send us a message through the “contact us” tab at the top of this page.
Bigger projects…
Food poverty and insecurity is a huge issue in our society. Having access to healthy, nutritious food isn’t something that people should be worried about in 2021 but sadly there are over 8 million people in the UK who are struggling to get enough to eat. Sheffield has a big heart and we’ve got some incredible community businesses that are tackling these issues head on.
Food Works take food from supermarkets that would otherwise go into landfill and re-route it to people who may be struggling to get enough to eat. Last year they provided 40,000 food boxes and thousands of healthy cooked meals to people all over Sheffield. Now they’ve started converting plots of unused land into community growing spaces where volunteers can help to produce food for their communities!
Regather Co-Operative are well known for their veg boxes, but did you know they have a farm as well? Nestled in the beautiful Moss Valley on the outskirts of the city, they grow organic fruit and veg on a 15 acre site. If you’d like to join their community and help bring sustainable food to Sheffield, you can volunteer to help out on the farm.
Heeley City Farm run 7 community growing projects across Sheffield. With sites at Norfolk Park, Meersbrook Park, Wortley Hall, Handsworth, Skye Edge, Gleadless and Heeley, there’s plenty to get stuck into. From food growing to bee keeping, you’re sure to find something that takes your fancy!
We’re so lucky to have all these wonderful projects on our doorstep…
All of our community organisations deserve a big cheer for the fantastic work they do! Lockdown has been incredibly tough on us all and spending so much time indoors can have really negative impacts on our mental and physical health. Gardens and growing projects will start to open their doors now that restrictions are slowly easing, and they’re more needed than ever before. Volunteering or attending sessions at one of these amazing organisations brings so many benefits and with spring arriving, now is the perfect time to start thinking about becoming part of Sheffield’s green community!