Volunteers brave hot weather to build Rickmansworth's first community garden
Volunteers have transformed a piece of underused open space into a thriving community garden – the first in Rickmansworth.
Members of Sustainable Three Rivers (S3R) have been working hard in the hot summer weather to construct three raised beds within the community orchard, which is behind the Rose Garden, close to Three Rivers House.
S3R asked Rickmansworth residents if they wanted a community garden and received over 400 responses. The council granted a lease for a year as a trial and, if successful, can be extended.
SR3 volunteers, who began the works last month (June), were supported by volunteers from Woodoaks Farm, who transported tonnes of compost from the farm for use in the garden.
Three Rivers District Council and Batchworth Community Council also provided support as well as The Chilterns Society, in association with Thames Water and the River Chess Smarter Water Catchment Initiative.
Cllr Chris Lloyd, Lead Member for Leisure, said: “It’s very exciting for Rickmansworth to get its first community garden that the wider community can use to grow their own fruits and vegetables as well as learn sustainable gardening techniques.
“Having this garden provides many opportunities that will greatly benefit the area, such as improving mental and physical health, tackling social isolation, and providing educational opportunities for our children.
“As a council, we strongly support this initiative, and I can’t wait to see what people grow.”
Rosi Jordon from S3R said: “We want to encourage local residents to learn more about growing their own food and to live more sustainably. We are very keen to enable people to learn about vegetable, fruit, herb and flower growing, building resilience and climate adaptation skills.
“Also, we love the idea of bringing people in our community together to socialise in a beautiful, natural setting, improving their well-being and combatting loneliness and social isolation. Plus, local people who don’t have access to a garden can engage with the environment by planting and learning gardening skills.”
If you would like to get involved in the community orchard, click the link here.