We are very excited about hosting the first ever Scotswood Winter Wonderland Event at our stunning community garden in December 2017. We would like to raise funds for presents for Santa to give to local children, entertainment and some staff time to coordinate the event.
We plan to transform the garden into a magical winter wonderland, complete with Santa and his elves in a woodland grotto , natural Christmas activities, a lantern parade, elf workshops, make your own wooden toy, apple pies baked outside in our bread oven , carols around a campfire with mince pies made from Scotswood mincemeat. The event will also showcase local community organisations and business who are keen to run stalls.
The event was thought up by our volunteers and young people. Everyone who uses the garden will be involved gaining valuable volunteering experience as well as building new skills and self confidence. Young people will use the event towards their volunteering hours for their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Older people will be making mincemeat, jams and crumbles to sell, d children will be making and parading lanterns, young people will be running workshops and performing live music, volunteers are looking forward to building a natural grotto and dressing up as elves and we have a perfect Santa from our Elderberries group who is already growing a beard!
Scotswood Natural Community Garden is much more than a community garden. We are a dynamic, award winning environmental and community organisation based in the heart of our local neighborhood . Established in 1995 on the site of an old school playing field, the garden was designed and built by local people for public use. The garden is a beautiful oasis in the heart of one of the most economically deprived neighbourhoods of the UK.
Our mission is ‘to inspire and promote learning about nature, the environment, and sustainable living.’ We provide a range of education, support, training, health and wellbeing services from our stunning natural site for people aged 0-90. We use nature based interventions which are proven to improve mental and physical health, strengthen community relationships, and support people to gain new skills, qualifications and experience. In 2016 we worked with 2706 people including 1880 children and young people who participated in forest schools and environmental education workshops with their schools.