What's on
From family support, fitness classes and learning to art exhibitions, festivals and talks, our activities are wide and far reaching.
Out in all weathers throughout the year, the Gentle Gardeners tend their vegetables, soft fruits and small orchard every week. I joined them as a volunteer as I had just graduated from Future Gardeners, a work-based horticulture course run by Bankside Open Spaces Trust and Walworth Garden and was keen to get experience.
To my delight I was offered the job of working with the group and jumped at the chance. Six years later I am still with the group and loving every minute of it.
We enjoy sowing and growing all kinds of crops that we can harvest and eat together and count among us a splendid cook who turns the ingredients into tasty lunches. Sharing food is something we love to do.
There is competition for our harvest from pesky slugs, squirrels and scrumpers who pick our fruits before we get to them, which is trying, but we have ways of getting revenge, so watch out when scoffing down a strawberry as there may be a chewy bit in the middle.
Surrounding our raised beds is our wildlife garden full of different hedging plants, berries, wildflowers, “weeds” (some might say), log heaps, bug zones, herbs and flowers. The Bernie Spain Sparrows are regular visitors for a drink from the tiny pond and a bit of nesting material to fly away with. In the middle of the big city, it is a joy to hear them chirping in the hedges close by and to see their tiny heads popping out when they think that no one is around.
To me this is more than just a job. I have been part of this community for over forty years and count myself as a “local”. The area of North Southwark was quite bleak when I first arrived in the 70’s. Look at it now. Full of life.
Taking good care of the open spaces and the natural world matters to me.
Did you know biophilia describes the human drive to connect with nature and other living things?
Biophilia, which literally translates to “love of life,” is the idea that this fascination and communion with nature stem from an innate, biologically driven need to interact with other forms of life such as animals and plants, with well documented benefits to human health and wellbeing.
I have been part of this community for over forty years and count myself as a 'local'. Taking good care of the open spaces and the natural world matters to me.