Growing Greenwich

Woodlands Farm

GCDA are working with Woodlands Farm to set up a food-growing project on a new piece of land being purchased from the council. This has the potential to be one of the biggest food-growing projects in London. The site will be managed in partnership with Woodlands Farm, Community Learning Disabilities Team, Volunteers and GCDA, growing food for Greenwich Community Food Co-op, local cafes, restaurants and caterers.

341 Food Growing Project

GCDA’s Community Food Worker has been supporting a food-growing project with people with learning difficulties for 4 Years. This project is a Partnership between GCFI, Community Link, BTCV, the biggest practical conservation charity in Britain, and most recently Woodlands Farm. The project combines food growing and horticulture training at 341 Shooters Hill and is fantastically beneficial for all involved.

GCDA team enjoyed a (maybe not so productive) team meeting, under Davey Haydock-Wilson’s excellent direction we managed to build 4 steps, a new experience for most of us, but I don’t think we will be giving up our day jobs!

Holy Family Food Growing Project

This is another successful food growing project at Holy Family School in Kidbrooke. Supported by John and Jean Morgan from Kidbrooke Park Allotments, it involves the children and parents from the school, growing food and making their garden beautiful. GCDA’s Community Food Worker has been supporting this project for 4 years.

Rachel MacMillan Herb Garden

The Rachel Macmillan Educational Herb Garden was created by the Deptford Discovery Team 10 years ago. It is a beautiful secluded garden opposite Rachel MacMillan Nursery School in West Greenwich. The Garden is an excellent resource for the local schools and the community alike. GCFI have been supporting it to be more productive, open and accessible for the wider community. This Autumn the Herb Garden will be growing specific herbs for Deptford Deli, the new Delicatessan being opened by Feast Your Eyes on Tanners Hill, Deptford.

Holy Trinity Community Garden

Run by Groundforce (a group of older people) who use the community centre, this beautiful, secluded, garden in the heart of the Coldbath and Orchard Estate is growing food. GCDA have supported this group to make raised beds in the garden to grow vegetables and herbs. Children from the local school regularly come down to learn about growing food from the older generation and GCDA’s Community Food worker.

Foxfields After School Gardening Club

Set up in 2004, Foxfields Primary School approached GCDA to help the children use the garden. Raised Beds for food growing were created near the Wildlife Garden and every Thursday after school, parents, grandparents and carers with the children met to grow food, learn about food growing and biodiversity. Over the years the club grew food in the Quadrangle for the whole school to enjoy, in the nursery garden and in the raised beds. Children and parents took home fresh vegetables and herbs that they had grown to eat and enjoy. Every other week, specialists from BTCV would run projects on biodiversity, every term we would have an outing to other local food and gardening projects.

Glyndon Community Centre

In 2008, Volunteers Greenwich and GCDA organised a challenge day to clear and sort out the garden in the community centre. A young team of post-graduate volunteers from a high street bank were put to task clearing and making raised beds, GCDA did a rolling programme of workshops teaching the volunteers about plants, soil, food and biodiversity. The pots of herbs were then sold on the GCFC fruit and veg market stall on Thursday mornings.