St Michaels Community Garden

Aim

To clear the derelict garden of overgrown vegetation and provide infrastructure and resources to be able to construct the community garden.

Wythenshawe Safety Patrol is a group of local residents from Wythenshawe who's mission is to make sure no woman or man should be made to feel scared or worried in their community. As a community we offer patrols, a walk through service for anyone who needs it, patrolling the area and checking in on vulnerable neighbours and we also run a free community cafe at the community hall at St Michael and All Angels Church on Orton Road. Our aim is to help and create a safer environment for everyone.

The funds generated through this Crowdfunder will be used to purchase tools, equipment, materials and resources. We will source volunteers and partners to help create and develop the garden as a community resource

We aim to get horticultural help and advice from partners such as the Groundwork Trust, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, Sow the City and others.

The project involves cutting down and removing overgrown vegetation, digging out roots, constructing raised beds, preparing the ground for growing, sowing seeds and planting, tending the gardens.

Our extended target will help purchase and install a polytunnel which will provide a covered area for the gardeners to work in and will also extend the growing season for the garden, vastly improving the range of produce that can be harvested and increasing the produce that can be used by the cafe.

We will encourage volunteers to join us in creating the garden and also in planting and maintaining the garden as a community resource.  Our aim is to have a regular group of volunteers which meet and work together in the garden.  Vegetables from the garden will be used as produce for meals in the community cafe.

The project will:

• Engage with people, particularly the socially isolated, to get involved creating a community garden, growing and harvesting produce for their own consumption. 
• Encourage people to be mindful of the natural environment - species, seasons, the growth cycle and food chain.
• Increase peoples exposure, awareness and understanding of the natural world.

Any additional funding that can be raised will be used to improve the accessibility and usability of the garden, increase the gardening opportunities that can be provided and improve the involvement of the community and partners at St Michaels Community Garden.

Gardening, working outdoors, tending a garden, watching plants grow provides a unique experience of connecting with nature. 

In the last five generations, so many of us have lived and worked in a context that is largely separated from nature. Spending time with nature is proven to benefit our wellbeing and mental health.  Nature is so central to our psychological and emotional health that it’s almost impossible to realise good mental health for all without a greater connection to the natural world.

Home grown produce also helps to reduce peoples carbon footprints.

This project successfully funded on 24th January 2024