Growing Community through Forest Gardening

To grow a strong community with local people from Bishopston & wider Gower and the asylum seeker and refugee community from across the county through helping create a Forest Garden at Murton, Gower. It is important to be inclusive and want to support access to the countryside for more disadvantaged groups as well as developing the links with neighbours to our site. The outcomes from this project include increasing community cohesion, health and wellbeing, sharing amazing organic food and methods for how to grow food sustainably.

There will be some beds for growing vegetables, some perennial plants and young fruit trees providing food for free and homes for nature. Yearly food is grown organically with disadvantaged groups but more of an impact can be made with the space.

Interest has come from members of the local community, such as neighbours to the site who may be retired and have time to spare, and want to give back to their community. The project will work with this community alongside our asylum seeker and refugee community to help build community cohesion.

Asylum seekers and refugees from across the whole City and County of Swansea - Over the years Down to Earth have created community connections with some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Asylum seekers and refugees have been involved in projects that exceeded what they thought was possible. Building a reciprocal roofed training centre, managing broadleaf woodland, walking and swimming along the coast have all led to improved health and wellbeing through a clinically proven model of delivery.

A staff member will dedicate time and leadership to expand the growing spaces, allowing for more food production and to innovate the Forest Garden concept. Forest gardening is a way to grow food that mirrors nature, for example by growing food at different layers like a woodland ecosystem. Down to Earth will create composting systems to deal with our own food waste on site (which has to be removed from site currently due to problems with rodents). A natural pool for bathing will be created, which could tackle both localised flooding, increase biodiversity and improve water quality by using appropriate planting.

The project will make a difference to people’s lives through their participation in 8 sessions and would have time in the funded period for around 6 sets (volunteers may choose to offer a longer or shorter commitment). The sessions are usually around 3 to 4 hours long with around 12 participants.