A local Heritage Garden Group enlisted the help of green-fingered volunteers to help green up an area in Newhaven’s Fishmarket Square recently. The project is part of this year’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom, the UK’s largest community gardening campaign.
The theme of this year’s Bloom campaign is Greening Grey Britain for Health and Happiness, and will see community groups around the UK organising gardening activities to boost local health and wellbeing. The theme was also celebrated with a show garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
A team from the RHS worked with local volunteers and Primary 5 pupils from Victoria Primary school to plant up tasty window boxes with a selection of herbs to adorn the windows of residents in Fishmarket Square. The window boxes were designed and built by Trinity Academy CDT pupils and have been painted so that residents can write the name of the herbs on the front. Pupils also made their own mini greenhouses and sowed edible seeds to take back to their classroom.
Meanwhile, across the road, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust worked with local residents and a team of volunteers from Scottish Gas to build and fill planters and install a circular tree seat in the community garden area.
The Newhaven Greening Grey Britain event was one of many being organised across the UK to promote the positive impact that community gardening activities have on people’s health and wellbeing.
Heather Yang, who leads the Newhaven Heritage Garden initiative said: “By joining together and with the support of the Newhaven Heritage Centre along with funding and support from RHS Greening Grey Britain and ELGT, we are able to bring colour to Newhaven and bring the area alive. People are coming out of their homes for a chat and helping to create a blossoming Newhaven.”
Liz Stewart, RHS Scotland Development Manager, said: “Greening Grey Britain is all about getting the nation to transform hard, grey areas into living, planted-up and beautiful places to help improve lives as well as the environment. Gardening and green spaces can have a positive impact on individuals and communities, providing opportunities for exercise, reducing stress and bringing people together. We hope this year’s campaign theme will get people talking about what a great healer gardening can be.”
Charlie Cumming, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Newhaven Heritage Group to help improve the area.
“The community garden at Newhaven was developed to bring local residents together and provide a way for those people in the many flats and other homes without gardens to get outside, be physically active and take part in a joint gardening project.
“With the help of some willing volunteers from British Gas, Edinburgh & Lothian Greenspace Trust ran community workshops and engagement sessions to get the project up and running. The plan is to train and then support the local community in how to look after their garden in the years to come.”
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