Community Gardens

From London National Park City Wiki

London is home to many community gardens which offer communities access to green spaces in the city. They range from educational food growing opportunities to spaces for recreation and sport.

Calthorpe Community Garden: 'A green oasis in King's Cross'

Calthorpe is an important space for local community of King’s Cross, offering a safe green space just a 10 minutes’ walk from the busy train station. The garden follows ‘SEED’ goals (Sport, Education, Environment and Diversity) aiming to improve lives for all involved through a range of core services:

·      A horticultural volunteering and training programme for people with learning disabilities and mental health issues

·       Sustainable food growing with vegetarian cafe

·       Supervised activities for children aged 0-14 and their families

·       Sports development including coaching and training for young people

·       Community classes and activities

Whether you want a quiet space to sit, to learn about horticulture or volunteer for a community project, there are many ways to support Calthorpe community garden.

258-274 Gray’s Inn Road, WC1X 8LH

Culpeper Community Garden: 'A little oasis in the city'

Situated in Islington Culpeper garden is a welcoming public space acting as both a city park and environmental community project. Managed by local volunteers and two employed gardeners this award winning project is a communal effort containing around 50 plots for local people who do not have gardens. Culpeper offers a weekly activity programme involving cooking sessions, therapeutic gardening and volunteering for local schools.

1 Cloudesley Road, Islington, N1 0EJ

Roots and Shoots

Aiming to provide vocational training for young people from Lambeth and Southwark, Roots and Shoots highlights the importance of green spaces for urban biodiversity. The garden is open for the wider community on evenings and weekends and used by local schools for environmental education during the week. Roots and Shoots often hold on site events such as the popular ‘Magpie Kitchen’, a pop up social dining club.

Walnut Tree Walk, Kennington, SE11 6DN

Pop Farm Brixton

Pop Farm is situated in ‘Pop Brixton’ a temporary creative project on disused land which aims to celebrate local independent businesses and social enterprises. This urban growing project brings a community garden to the heart of Brixton making gardening accessible to local people. Pop Farm aims to educate, inform and share information and food growing in the community and grows a range of herbs and vegetables for Pop Brixton’s food business. This community space also offers professional horticulture programmes and weekend workshops for the public to take part in.

49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ

Capital Growth

A food growing network in London aiming to create a healthy food system in the capital. With 2,767 growing spaces across London Capital Growth supports people to grow food at home, on allotments or part of a community group.

Growing CommunitiesIt’s more than just carrots

Based in Hackney, Growing Communities is a community-led organisation aiming to provide a new food system for the urban community. With award-winning urban farms in Hackney and Dagenham Growing Communities produces local salad, fruit, vegetables, jams and sauces at a weekly farmers market in Stoke Newington