London isn’t generous with its private green spaces and there is nothing more annoying to someone without a their own garden than seeing an unkempt disused green space.
Cue the Loughborough Farm project, a cheering initiative led by the tireless Loughborough Junction Action Group to plant flora and fauna into derelict sites in the local area. The volunteer-run, community gardening scheme has already nabbed two patches for the project: a large plot on Loughborough Road, opposite the newly spruced Wyck Gardens (pictured above), and a smaller site on Minet Road near Loughborough Primary School. Fruit and veg seeds will be planted for local consumption and sale. The Farm will officially launch on 31 August but the project is peppered with events before and after then including courses in DIY, crafts, cooking and gardening, where the focus will be meeting other people in the local community. Volunteers welcome!
Pop down to Max Roach Park, Brixton Road (junction of St John’s and Villa Roads) noon to 4pm on Wednesday, 21 August. Info: Emily Myers on loughboroughfarm@gmail.com
Bankside Open Spaces
The Bankside Open Spaces Trust has already met many of SE1’s green space needs by developing parks and gardens in the area, or creating them from scratch (check out the proposed plan for Winchester Palace on Clink Street, pictured left). They’ve worked wonders on the likes of Mint Street Park (between Southwark Bridge Road and Marshalsea Road), the Garden at the Tate Modern, which provides a tranquil, tourist-free oasis for residents, while the Edible Bankside initiative has been busy growing fruit and veg on local estates. Find out more at Bost.org.uk
Queen’s Walk Window Gardens, Southbank
Part of the Southbank Centre’s on-going Festival of Neighbourhood, these towering community allotments are made from reclaimed window frames, and designed to prompt the question: “What’s in our window box?” Designed by the creative landscape and architectural practive, Wayward Plants, the striking gardens were built, planted and have been maintained by the public. Catch a look at them – and take a gardening and window-box-building workshop – until 8 September. Waywardplants.org
Lambeth’s Community Parks
This is more of a “maybe” – as Lambeth’s green spaces are potentially being handed over to local communities to run. Whatever you think about the Coalition’s Big Society ideas, they’re poised to come our way – and right now, Lambethites are being offered the chance to have a say in how the borough’s plentiful parks and green spaces (there are 60!) will look in the future, how they’re run and how the money allocated to them is spent. Yep, local council cuts mean Lambeth needs to shave £400,000 off its parks budget… Want to have your say in the current consultation about it all? Email: cooperativeparks@lambeth.gov.uk, text 07772 103 628 or call 0800 013 1497, or download the information booklet
Words: Sarah Fox
