Mid Ulster gardeners come together to celebrate Growing Resilience programme

Community gardeners from across Mid Ulster came together on Saturday to celebrate taking part in a project called Growing Resilience led by Social Farms and Gardens.

Since April, each participating community garden hosted an event inviting the other gardeners to come along, hear about the history of the garden and share a skill they have learned.

Kelley Hann from Social Farms and Gardens who coordinated the project explained: "Growing Resilience provides a great opportunity for community gardeners to meet and share what they have learned. They are a wealth of knowledge and experience. We hope that through the project, they now feel part of a larger network and will continue to keep in touch. Community gardening often attracts people who have an interest in growing their own food. The health and social benefits are incredibly important and many gardens become a sanctuary for people to unwind and spend time in nature."

On Saturday, the gardeners met at the Farmers Market held at the Open Door Complex in Bellaghy. The community garden there is less than a year old, but it is thriving. After lunch, they travelled to Castledawson Community Allotments for a tour and workshop on seed saving led by Conor O’Kane from Social Farms and Gardens.

John Murtagh, Waste and Sustainability Officer for Mid Ulster Council also joined the celebration and spoke with the gardeners about the new Climate Action Plan currently in development where community growing plays an important part.

Social Farms and Gardens Annual Community Growing Forum takes place on Saturday, October 21 from 11am to 3.30pm at the Playtrail in Derry. This free event is a great opportunity for community gardeners to see an inspiring community garden and woodland. For more details and booking click here