Community Growing in the Heart of Brinnington
Brinnington Big Local is a lottery-funded programme seeking to make lasting change by taking a community-led approach.
A group of passionate and skilled volunteers regularly consult with their community to identify local needs and from there, coordinate projects and activities which meet them. Two of the long-term priorities in the area are food poverty and health and wellbeing. These factors are the driving forces behind the development of the Brinnington Big Local Green Thumbs Community Garden.
Introducing Green Thumbs Community Garden
The Green Thumbs Community Gardens was established by the Brinnington Big Local in 2016, as a space where the community could grow, learn, and connect, both with nature and each other.
Both the gardens and volunteers who manage them, have won numerous awards since opening including community star volunteer awards and best community garden. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham visited the garden in 2019 and was wowed by the work the volunteers had undertaken
Health & Wellbeing Benefits of Growing
In 2021, the Green Thumbs committee designed a series of six ‘Meet, Grow & Eat’ wellbeing sessions for people who had become socially isolated through the pandemic.
The sessions offered a safe place for people to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors whilst learning new skills, meeting new friends, and enjoying a ‘natter in nature’ with likeminded individuals.
Thanks for their ongoing work in the gardens, they’re now enjoying tomatoes and home-grown potatoes. They are also in the midst of designing and delivering a young person’s gardening wellbeing club, which will take place every Saturday.
Julie Loftus, is chair of Green Thumbs committee and champions the wellbeing benefits of community garden:
“There is something about the soil. It helps mental health; it diverts your brain.”
What grows in the Green Thumbs community garden?
Community members who use one of the plots at the community garden pay an annual £5 contribution for their plot and choose to plant it with whatever they like.
- Roc, the children’s club at the church, are growing sweetcorn, runner beans, peas and cabbage
- Lucy and Julie are growing blackcurrant and redcurrant trees
- Julie is also growing a small herb garden.
- Leigh Clough has grown some stunning sunflowers.
- Martin the church pastor is growing red gooseberries, sage and strawberries.
- Trisha and Donna Jackson are growing a supply of potatoes and hoping to use in the local community café where they both volunteer – a wonderful example of seed to plate for the benefit of the community!
- Paul and Julie are growing onions and lettuce
- Rosalyn grows her native African squash
- Pru’s grandchildren are growing a range of vegetables.
- As a group they are also growing a living wall filled with green beans and peas.
Growing up a storm
Building on successful gardening projects from previous years, in 2022 the committee wanted to encourage more people to grow, cook and eat their own freshly grown produce. The Big Local worked with volunteers from Green Thumbs to co-design this new initiative, known as ‘Growing up a Storm’
Using a £400 budget, 10 volunteers got to work preparing portable plots with salad seeds, compost, and potatoes. They then distributed the packs to over 90 local residents and shared cooking videos and recipe cards which highlighted what they could grow themselves.
The committee wanted to support residents struggling with the increased cost of living in some small way, whilst also giving them a fun, practical activity and expanding their skills.
To watch their cooking videos, check out their YouTube channel.
Helping tackle food poverty? Local food source
The committee have plans to make varied flavoured chutneys and jams with produce from Growing up a Storm, which will be used to make healthier and cheaper alternative meals and encourage more ‘grow your own’ food.
To help reduce food waste, food sharing is encouraged. As well as using potatoes grown in the gardens for their community café, produce is also regularly left for members of the community to help themselves.
To find out more about Brinnington Big Local and how you can get involved, check out their website and Facebook page.