Creating a community garden for all

We have been working with our partners Purdy and Organiclea and the local community to develop the Chingford Hall Community Garden space over the past 18 months.

Published: 11/05/2023

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Purdy helped fix some of the essentials and removed waste that had been fly tipped to provide a safe area for OrganicLea, young people and local volunteers to continue developing the space.

The wooden planters originally built by our partner Engie are being used by local volunteers to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs, including tomatoes, runner beans, rosemary, rhubarb, potatoes and garlic.

With the support of Organiclea, a group of young people taking part in the ‘Bug Hunt’ youth group dug out a wildlife pond during the October half term, planted vegetables and built a shelter in the school Easter holiday to be used for potting seeds and to provide shelter when the weather turns. They’ve also helped to build a compost area and polytunnel.

Tyler, aged 11, took part in the Bug Hunt activities over Easter said: “I painted planks of wood red, green, blue and yellow, and we also cut them to build the shelter. We used the spare wood to build the frame for the blossom tree flowerbed. We used measuring tape to measure 170cm and cut the planks. We then made the bed around the tree and filled it up with soil.

“I’ve done some gardening before, helping my aunt to plant flowers, but doing Bug Hunt I now know how to paint properly, use a saw and a measuring tape.”

Pippa Pang, Group Social Value and Marketing Manager at Kinovo said: “We place ESG at the heart of our strategy.  The very nature of our work ensconces us within the heart of sustainability in all aspects; Environmental, Social and Governance.  Creating social Value is incredibly important to us and is something we have delivered for several years.  We help those in need: Local food banks, schools and community initiatives within the local areas that we work, hence supporting Peabody, one of our largest clients, with our chosen initiatives.”

Last summer, the Bug Hunt group camped at Organiclea’s main site, Hawkwood Nursery, to learn more about organic growing and explore local wildlife. As well as building the pond, during October half term last year, they completed an emergency first aid course and accreditation, and during the winter, the group designed their dream shelter and visited other local allotment sites.