A piece of derelict land has been converted into a thriving green space for the whole community
*How did the garden start?*
About three years ago, Ushaw Moor Action Group carried out a survey in the village and everyone felt that a community garden would be a good thing. There was a bit of derelict land owned jointly by Durham county council and the Roman Catholic diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, and they allowed us to have it on a long-term basis. We received money from the Big Lottery Fund's Community Spaces to clear the land and open the garden, which we did nearly two years ago.
*Tell us about the garden*
We grow all kinds of fruit and vegetables. This has been one of the best winters for us; we've been lucky not to have as much rain as all those poor people in the south, and the weather's been quite mild. There's a charity called Handcrafted, which is making a keyhole garden for the site. The concept started in Africa and it uses a minimal amount of soil; you put compost in the middle and it leaches out into the soil. That will be our dedicated organic patch within the garden.
There's an educational spin-off as well. Two local primary schools – Silver Tree and St Joseph's – come to the garden and do work in the raised beds. Police from Durham Constabulary also do one session a week in the garden: they run a successful scheme called Hagrid, through which they work with children who are seen as being at high risk of getting involved in crime. They won a Royal Horticultural Award for their work. Last year, the kids on the Hagrid project were digging up potatoes and they were quite surprised – I think they thought they came out of plastic bags!
We're in the process of starting a Men's Sheds scheme (which originated in Australia and New Zealand) to give men the opportunity to get together and have a chat, because we're not very good at talking about our emotions and all that.
*What problems have you had?*
We've had fairly minimal problems with vandalism. A small shed burned down one Sunday, but, otherwise, the problems have been minor. We are a group of volunteers, so there are problems with that. Last year, 40 people signed up to be friends of the garden and to help out, but only four turned up. Hundreds of people come along from the village for the events, though.
*What's the best thing about Ushaw Moor Community Garden?*
The group is about trying to improve things within the village. We're hiring a shop that we've called The Hive; there's a coffee shop in there where the youth club meets – we want to expand what's going on in their lives. We have a hut down the road from the coffee shop that is really successful for children's parties – it's fully booked up until April, which makes us a bit of money.
I think the best bit is that it got rid of derelict land. It's a nice place, where people can come to sit and reflect. We're on the south side of a valley here, so we get the sun all the time. We're a former mining village – there was nothing here 150 years ago. There's this attitude that the glass is always half empty. We're trying to change people's attitudes and lift them up a bit.
Ushaw Moor Community Garden is an initiative by Ushaw Moor Action Group and is a member of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens: for more information and to find your nearest community garden look here.
The Live Better Challenge is funded by Unilever; its focus is sustainable living. All content is editorially independent. Find out more here. Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 hour ago.
*How did the garden start?*
About three years ago, Ushaw Moor Action Group carried out a survey in the village and everyone felt that a community garden would be a good thing. There was a bit of derelict land owned jointly by Durham county council and the Roman Catholic diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, and they allowed us to have it on a long-term basis. We received money from the Big Lottery Fund's Community Spaces to clear the land and open the garden, which we did nearly two years ago.
*Tell us about the garden*
We grow all kinds of fruit and vegetables. This has been one of the best winters for us; we've been lucky not to have as much rain as all those poor people in the south, and the weather's been quite mild. There's a charity called Handcrafted, which is making a keyhole garden for the site. The concept started in Africa and it uses a minimal amount of soil; you put compost in the middle and it leaches out into the soil. That will be our dedicated organic patch within the garden.
There's an educational spin-off as well. Two local primary schools – Silver Tree and St Joseph's – come to the garden and do work in the raised beds. Police from Durham Constabulary also do one session a week in the garden: they run a successful scheme called Hagrid, through which they work with children who are seen as being at high risk of getting involved in crime. They won a Royal Horticultural Award for their work. Last year, the kids on the Hagrid project were digging up potatoes and they were quite surprised – I think they thought they came out of plastic bags!
We're in the process of starting a Men's Sheds scheme (which originated in Australia and New Zealand) to give men the opportunity to get together and have a chat, because we're not very good at talking about our emotions and all that.
*What problems have you had?*
We've had fairly minimal problems with vandalism. A small shed burned down one Sunday, but, otherwise, the problems have been minor. We are a group of volunteers, so there are problems with that. Last year, 40 people signed up to be friends of the garden and to help out, but only four turned up. Hundreds of people come along from the village for the events, though.
*What's the best thing about Ushaw Moor Community Garden?*
The group is about trying to improve things within the village. We're hiring a shop that we've called The Hive; there's a coffee shop in there where the youth club meets – we want to expand what's going on in their lives. We have a hut down the road from the coffee shop that is really successful for children's parties – it's fully booked up until April, which makes us a bit of money.
I think the best bit is that it got rid of derelict land. It's a nice place, where people can come to sit and reflect. We're on the south side of a valley here, so we get the sun all the time. We're a former mining village – there was nothing here 150 years ago. There's this attitude that the glass is always half empty. We're trying to change people's attitudes and lift them up a bit.
Ushaw Moor Community Garden is an initiative by Ushaw Moor Action Group and is a member of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens: for more information and to find your nearest community garden look here.
The Live Better Challenge is funded by Unilever; its focus is sustainable living. All content is editorially independent. Find out more here. Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 hour ago.