Greener community at Cupids Green

Aim: Create a “Community Garden” at Cupids Green Active Dacorum Hub, with a "green" shipping container (living roof) as storage and classroom.

Apex in the Community, Hertfordshire CIC is a not for profit organisation that is aiming to create a “Community Garden” at the Active Dacorum Hub which will “grow” over time and other funding opportunities to x5 planter areas using treated Railway sleepers to create raised beds.

The idea is to create an incredible edible approach where the local community can plant food (https://www.incredibleedible.org.uk) 

The hub site is perfect for a Community Garden as it; 

• Borders both Woodhall Farm and Grovehill so provides easy access for residents. 
• is close to local schools and situated next door to the adventure playground. 
• is within a short walking distance of workplaces at Maylands.
• is over the road from the Cupid Green Depot 

All of the above are hugely valuable links that could be tied into for both encouraging green volunteering (e.g. workplace lunchtime activities!) as well as encouraging the uptake of locally grown produce. 

From Dacorum Borough Councils Learning from Lockdown research conducted in 2020 during lockdown, the food we choose to eat can make up a significant part of our individual carbon footprints. Growing food locally reduces the carbon footprint of our food by reducing factors such as transportation, storage, and packaging. It also increases resilience for food security which is one of the key risks of climate change. For reference these results were collected July – Aug from 1500 Dacorum residents all based on the March/April lockdown…

We would be keen to purchase a 40Ft by 8ft High Cube (Painted Green) Shipping container as it will be a multipurpose solution at the hub.  We aim to divide the Shipping container into x2 clear 20Ft by 8ft “spaces”. 

Unfortunately in between getting quotes and planning permission for the Shipping container, the costs have gone up by nearly £5,000 due to a shortage of shipping containers and resources for the living roof. We didn't expect to have to find this additional monies.