Our Stories – Eden G Community Garden
Read one of our brand new entries from this year Eden G have created a community garden in wake of Covid-19
The Eden G volunteers started work at the beginning of May 2020, just two months ago, when we came together with the aims of creating and maintaining a place that already, we have transformed what was an overgrown piece of wasteland, formerly home to the site office and building compound, between two phases of residential development in Edenthorpe, Doncaster. The land, which now belongs to the parish council, was a mess of thigh-high weeds, leftover building rubbish, and fly-tipped garden waste. We had expected it to be quite some time before we would be able to see the shape Eden G was going to take, be actively growing, or considering opening to the public.
Eden G was born in the middle of the global Corona Virus pandemic. Creating the project in response to Covid-19 has provided those that have volunteered to date, a way to deal with the impact the situation has had on their mental and physical well-being, with volunteers describing the benefits to them being a way for singles to be involved in something, keeping them connected to others, avoiding total isolation. We managed to form the group safely by creating a membership that met virtually at first. As restrictions have been eased, the space on the site means that we’ve been able to start on the physical work needed whilst maintaining social distancing. Giving those that have been furloughed a way to keep active, helping them manage boredom, anxiety and improve their physical fitness. We all love how many calories digging consumes.
Giving key workers who haven’t been furloughed a way to escape, after hours, from the stresses of delivering front line services at an unprecedented time. Contributing to children’s learning whilst home-schooling. Half of the households that have joined in have pre or primary school-aged children. It is wonderful watching them learn about where food comes from or how planting a seed results in a flower.
As the project develops, it will be particularly important to us to make the garden attractive and accessible to all residents, to benefit everyone's health. This includes but is not limited to, older people, those with disabilities (both learning and physical), those with health conditions (including mental health needs), parents, children, and young people.
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