A look at Hampshire’s community gardens schemes

The greater awareness of the physical and mental health benefits of being in nature and gardening is seeing a rise in community gardens across the country, including here in Hampshire. Community gardens are for everyone, whether just visiting and chatting, getting hands on or using the space therapeutically. Giving back and helping those in pain or distress by sharing your knowledge of gardening, or whatever skills and experience you have, is of real value to the community.

Turn an unused patch into a communal space (Image: Leigh Clapp) Wellbeing, the relief from loneliness, and connecting with nature became top priorities during lockdown and there was a real surge of interest for home gardeners to cultivate their patch no matter the size, often helped along by existing community gardens and groups who imparted knowledge and advice with enthusiasm. Green social prescribing such as therapeutic community gardening continues to show benefits with over 400 places on offer across England. Add the economic situation, stresses about finances and food poverty, the chance to get into a garden, especially if you don’t have one at home, becomes even more valuable.

Sharing the harvest is part of many communal gardens (Image: Leigh Clapp) There is no doubt that humans have an innate connection with nature and also the need to socialise and belong to a community of people with similar interests. Studies have shown how your heart rate and blood pressure drops after only three or four minutes in a garden, and that ‘green exercise’ from gardening also benefits physical and mental health. Community gardens make gardening accessible, bringing people together from different walks of life with a shared interest in growing and nurturing, creating an enriching experience. For many, community gardening equates to growing food, for others it’s the chance to learn new skills, meet new people, green a local area or conserve wildlife habitats. You are sharing the process and benefits of caring for the environment, while helping others, and there is often the ripple effect to the surrounding area, attracting more wildlife, helping people eat more healthily, and even creating a safer place to live as cleaner, greener streets have been linked to lower crime rates and reduced anti-social behaviour.

Hart's Community Garden is a garden for everyone (Image: Leigh Clapp) Hart’s Community Garden, within Edenbrook Country Park in Fleet, is an example of the wonderful work our community gardens do in Hampshire. The creation of the garden is a collaboration between Hart District Council’s Countryside team and Hart Voluntary Action with the aim to offer opportunities for local people to improve their physical and mental health by getting involved in a social, creative and supportive growing space. Everyone is welcome to become a member and join in to help grow a variety of vegetables, fruits and flowers in raised beds and polytunnels.

Wide fully accessible paths allow easy access and there is a large pergola ideal for a chat, a piece of cake and a cup of tea, while looking out over this peaceful environment. Members come along for a green, nurturing workout, make new friends and improve their wellbeing. There is also a programme of events through the year to get involved in, including creative workshops and wildlife talks.

Connect with the earth and grow food using organic principles (Image: Leigh Clapp) Getting the young involved in the joys of nurturing plants together helps build the understanding that they are a part of a community and share custodianship of the planet, and it’s both fun and rewarding. With children in mind, Patrick’s Patch, located opposite Fairweather’s Garden Centre in Beaulieu, has been encouraging little green fingers since opening in 2008 through their abundant productive garden. The garden is used as an educational project for primary school children and young people with additional needs, to give them gardening skills and also understand where their food comes from. An impressive array of fruit, vegetables, herbs and cut flowers are tended by a head gardener and a team of volunteers along with the regular groups of school children, and the garden, open year round, attracts many visitors who take away ideas for their own plot. The key message that is conveyed to the children is that they are part of nature and nature needs to be respected.

Communal gardens allow you to garden with other keen gardeners (Image: Leigh Clapp) New this year to the community garden landscape is the Garden for Mind at Longstock Park Nursery on the Leckford Estate, which has been created as a sanctuary for mental health and overall wellbeing. This on-going collaborative project, involving volunteers, sponsors and supporters, is transforming a previously unused area on the estate, part of the John Lewis Partnership, into a space that will enable the independent charity, Andover Mind, to hold programmes and activities, such as gardening therapy and mindfulness sessions for service users. Opened in July this initiative is also an asset for the whole community to find peace, tranquillity and connection with the outdoors. Additionally the garden aims to help educate on climate change challenges and biodiversity loss. Features include a sensory garden, nature pond, fruit and vegetables and relaxing patio. As with all community gardens, volunteers are always welcome to help maintain the planting and maintenance.

Reg's community garden (Image: Leigh Clapp) Pay a visit

Hart’s Community Garden, Pale Lane, Fleet, RG27 8SP

Open Mondays 2pm – 4pm, Tuesday and Wednesday 10am – 12.30pm and

Thursday 11.30am – 2pm.

hartvolaction.org.uk

Patrick’s Patch, Beaulieu, SO42 7YB

Open daily

fairweathers.co.uk

Garden For Mind, Longstock Park Nursery, Leckford Estate, Stockbridge, SO20 6EH

leckfordestate.co.uk

More community gardens to get involved with

Unit 12 Community Garden, Winchester, unit-12.org

Wickham Community Garden, wickhamcommunitycentre.org.uk

Reg’s Community Garden, Farnborough Street, rushmoorlink.org

Hawley Community Garden, Farnborough, rvs.org.uk

Wicor Primary School Community Garden, wicor.hants.sch.uk

Basingstoke Mencap, basingstokemencap.org.uk

The Resilience Garden, Aldershot Military Museum, hampshireculture.org.uk

Community gardens produce a bountiful harvest (Image: Leigh Clapp) Create your own

If you fancy creating a community garden or project, it could be that you just need the landowner’s permission and a group of willing volunteers to transform a derelict patch. The RHS can support new groups with resources and training through their communities’ team online at rhs.org.uk. The NGS offers community garden grants via ngs.org.uk and the Hampshire Gardens Trust offers support and advice at hgt.org.uk.