Grow a community in the garden
[Image shows: Potted herbs rest in sunshine awaiting their final bedding place]
A slither of garden, occupied by buddleia and brambles, litter and on occasion, people of the night. Old spray paint projects colour the gravel pebbles. A series of murals and graf tags stretch along the brick wall, from ideas been and gone. But the sun shines here for most of the day and we're here with open minds, ready to start reimagining.
Last summer we took on a small, neglected plot of sunny outdoor space which we've been slowly tending into a garden.
The idea is that it could be an imaginative, relaxing natural space, an urban growing plot for people to grow food and gather but also speak to the passers by with a (yet to be painted) energetic and vibrant mural on the walls.
[ Image shows: Volunteer with bright red hair plants borage seedlings in a large blue foraged builders mixing barrel, the foreground and in the backdrop an other volunteer is looking at where to trim back the bushes.]
A garden is never just a garden, especially when people come together to look after it. This could be a regenerative social anchor, organising space to voice the issues we’re facing locally and globally, exploring and educating ourselves together and supporting each other, nurturing reciprocal relationships. We’re a small group of volunteers, sometimes bringing our children along with us to be part of the growing project.
[Image shows: Shrub in foreground with vertical garden made from colourful car tyres on the wall]
Spending time together outdoors, working with our hands and giving love and making tangible change to this little plot is wildly rewarding. Literally, we’ve come into direct contact with local wildlife, such as hedgerow birds and very excitingly; a roost of bats, which we can now give extra protection to after they made themselves explicitly involved after fluttering in the face of a volunteer as he began to dismantle a pile of old tyres for us to use as a vertical garden! Needless to say, the vertical garden has fewer tyres than we had planned for, but we now have the honour of looking after a protected species. The organisation who has kindly given us access to the growing space, Baby People dedicated some time with the young people in their provision and created a sign for the bats!
[Image shows: a black and red sign with black silhouette bat and white lettering reading: The Baby People Bats. Bats are protected by law. Bats are an endangered species. Bats can live up to 3 years. Bats are closer relations to humans than mice. Bats are pollinators like bees. These are not vampires. They are safe, but please leave them alone.]
There are many corners in a city that if only people had access to, they might begin a process of creative growth and care for their city and each other. If you’d like to join the growing team in the Thrivemind Village project, then please go to our volunteer page and find out how to get involved.