Since becoming involved in the Kirkstall community I have noticed that care for our environment and the ‘good life’ is high on many people’s agenda. There are a variety of local clubs and associations that aim to promote healthy living and the regeneration of greenery in our urban space such as Kirkstall in Bloom and TCV. Recently we have come across an energetic young man who’s idea to create a community garden from unused land has grown to become a talking point amongst many in Kirkstall. Here, we meet Paul Long, the founder of the project, who describes his journey and how he hopes his Community Garden idea will take shape.
Paul was born and raised in Moortown but moved to Kirkstall 15 years ago. He lives with his girlfriend and they have a 3-year-old daughter.
Paul says, “Although we have moved a few times we have stayed in Kirkstall as it’s close to my work and there are many great local shops and facilities like the Kirkstall Abbey and the leisure centre.”
He also notes, that the local schools have great Ofsted reports and there are a few playgroups around. In Kirkstall there is already quite a lot of green, open space for his daughter to play in, he remarks “we often make a picnic, go feed the ducks at the Abbey and go for a walk along the canal and nature trails.”
Paul initially looked at a location near Beecroft Street to site the Community Garden, however the planning restrictions were deemed to be insurmountable and so he has now set his sights on current unused allotment land at a Kirkstall allotment.
Paul tells us why how he came across the idea for the community garden and why he thinks it is needed:
“When I was growing up my grandad and uncle had allotments and loved to keep animals. I learned so much as did my girlfriend, Laura with her grandad at his allotment. We wanted to share this with our daughter, Nicole and as she grew she became more interested in helping me in the garden and learning about where things come from and how they grow. Now, aged 3, she can identify a variety of fruit and veg, she knows whether it came from a tree or grown in muck and we have now moved on to teach her about animals like where eggs and milk come from. But our garden has limited space and there is nowhere to fit a green house or keep chickens.
I then noticed that there was a lot of open unused space around Kirkstall yet people in the community had small to no growing space/gardens. This is when I had the idea to build a community garden so that all people in Kirkstall and the surrounding areas could come together share ideas, learn new skills and grow together like we had be doing with our daughter. There are so many health benefits to growing your own but it also promotes recycling, looking after nature, a pro-social, have-a-go attitude and encourages children to learn about eating healthily.”
How much interest have you had from members of the community?
“Everyone we have spoken to in the local community has had many great positive comments and they think having a safe place to bring their kids to learn about leading a healthier lifestyle in a fun environment is a great idea. People also say it will help them to appreciate nature more as they will have a better understanding of how to look after it. They also think the idea of being able to grow some of their own fruit and veg is a great concept.
We have linked with some businesses such as The Old Yorkshire Store and our flyer is in most local cafe/shop windows and libraries. We have also linked up with English Steps and Real Life Options Adult Social Care to give people the opportunity to volunteer and practice new skills.
Our local MP, Rachel Reeves, has told me she is 100% behind the idea and has contributed a recipe for our community cookbook. The people of Parks and Countryside, TCV Hollybush and KVCA have been a great help with finding suitable sites and helping with planning and funding.”
It look’s like you have a lot of support, so what is the plan and how are you getting the word out there?
“Once we have the land use confirmed in the coming weeks we hope to host a community meeting and officially form the committee and register the charity. Then we can work with the community members and volunteers to clear the plots and build the garden. In the meantime we are applying for other sources of funding and raising awareness through Twitter @kirkstallgarden and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/kirkstallgarden. In addition, we are running competitions and creating a community cookbook/healthier lifestyle guide. We hope to have the website with members forum and store up and running soon with the mobile app coming in the next month or so. We also have some merchandise ready to go with the website launch.”
What are your plans for the future of the Community Garden? How do you plan to sustain all of the good work you will have done?
“We hope to be awarded funding and grants to cover the initial setup costs then the community garden will become self funding. We hope to raise money by selling seedlings and merchandise online and at local farmers markets as well as giving excess produce to local businesses in exchange for donations of equipment or other things we may require. Membership will be free to all and we hope to offer members a small plot to grow their own, along with use of the communal facilities – garden shed, polly tunnel, sandpit, herb garden, small animal enclosure and bee hives, recycling bins and demo tables. We then hope to run learning events and demos at the garden, which we hope will encourage people to open/join clubs using the garden as a base such as stargazing, photography, wildlife and nature kids clubs. By placing the Community Garden on already established allotment land we know that the site will be secure and safe for people to grow food.
I am the founder and chair of Kirkstall Community Garden and I hope to find a co-chair, secretary and treasurer before work starts, then I hope to expand the committee as the community garden grows.”
How can readers of KM get involved or help?
“Everyone is welcome to join, membership is free and we have volunteer and committee positions available. Donations of gardening equipment and seeds are more than welcome.”
If you want to get involved, follow them on twitter @kirkstallgarden, like them on Facebook http://facebook.com/kirkstallgarden and if you would like to join or become a volunteer / committee member they have forms on their Facebook page. Alternatively, you can email kirkstallgarden@gmail.com for more information.
