Green-fingered staff and volunteers are enjoying a bumper harvest of homegrown fruit and vegetables after transforming outdoor space in Brunswick into an edible garden.
S4B has teamed up with local social enterprise ’Sow the City’ to help improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life for local people.
Over the past two months, staff and volunteers launched a gardening project Grow Brunswick and transformed formerly unused land into a temporary site to grow food.
Sow the City transformed every available inch of the area into a vegetable patch, complete with home grown lettuce, spinach, kohl rabi, beans, courgette, sweetcorn, peas, cabbage and herbs.
Jon Ross, project manager at Sow the City said, “Grow Brunswick has shown that with a bit time and effort anyone can grow their own food in the city. Hopefully, this project will inspire others to give it a go.”
An army of volunteers, local residents and staff have been busy planting, watering and harvesting fruit, vegetables and herbs including S4B resident, Martin Toal who was thrilled to take part in the project,
“This is a great way to get people to take ownership of their neighbourhood and give the care and attention needed.
“We have been able to share practical help and advice to create healthy produce from the garden.
“With the circuit training next door, the two go hand in hand to build a better, healthier future for everyone in Brunswick.”
Ross Hemmings, Community Regeneration Manager for S4B said: “This is a great project and everyone who takes part really enjoys it. It helps to get people out of the house, see a friendly face and be more active.
“Everyone involved has shared their knowledge and offered advice and now local people have the confidence to set up and start growing food for the first time.
“It allows people to work at their own pace bringing their own skills and feeling part of something that could get really big.
“We now hope to build on this success and continue to grow more food right here in Brunswick.”
S4B is the consortium set up to deliver the 25-year regeneration plans in Brunswick. The work will see new and refurbished homes and roads – as well as improvements to many green space areas over the next 5 years; including, 25 new allotment plots, a new play area, planting 710 new trees and creating a community orchard.
To find out how to get involved in the project, Visit the S4B Housing Office, Bramwell drive, Brunswick. M13 9SU or find out what is going on in your local area by emailing info@sowthecity.org or calling 0161 900 9042.