Leith Open Space

Redbraes wins the lottery

Community garden essentials: plants, enthusiastic volunteers and a nice mulch of money!

“The garden will become a focus for community social events but will also provide a quiet place for people to work, exercise or simply take some fresh air in beautiful surroundings.” Simon Daley, Community Beat Officer

Congratulations to Redbraes! Simon Daley sent the good news in a short email which got straight to the point: “I’ve just taken a call from the press office at the big lottery fund to confirm that we have been successful in our bid for £10k!”

That was 3 June. Since then Redbraes Residents Association and volunteers of Redbraes Community Garden have had more good news. Leith Neighbourhood Partnership will cover the cost of building paths in the site now being developed as a community garden.

“I would like to say a huge thank you,� says Simon who, as the local community police officer, has played an essential part in helping to create the vision for a community garden among the houses of Redbraes housing estate. The £10,000 grant from the Breathing Places programme of the Big Lottery Fund means that vision now becomes reality.

Since our report last month, garden designer Becky Govier, has also had offers of voluntary help to dig and plant up the beautifully peaceful area of ground rolling down to the Water of Leith.

Now over to Simon to explain why the garden is so important: “The £10,000 grant will allow us to create a true community resource in the centre ofEdinburgh. The garden project, with its focus on community involvement will influence how the local community interact with each other and their natural environment.

“Education is a crucial part of our aims and the design by Becky Govier of Greenedge Garden Designs has cleverly incorporated an outdoor classroom which will double as a meeting place. The ability to grow healthy foods will be available to young children through our work with local nurseries, schools and youth groups and the garden’s design will allow all members of the community to work and socialise together.

“The garden will become a focus for community social events but also provide a quiet place for people to work, exercise or simply take some fresh air in beautiful surroundings.�

Well done Redbraes!

Add comment June 6th, 2008

Help wanted to create Redbraes Community Garden

An outdoor classroom, a haven for wildlife, and room to grow fruit and vegetables: this is the plan on the drawing board for Redbraes Community Garden. Now the organising committee just need some help to make it happen on the ground.

While Persevere Community Garden is taking shape, something equally inspiring is happening not far away. Among the houses of Redbraes there are plans to turn a hidden green space into a thriving community garden where people of all ages can come together to grow food and flowers on the banks of the Water of Leith

This is the vision of local community police officer Simon Daley backed by members of Redbraes Residents Association. Local residents, who have already built the Park Centre in Redbraes Park, met in October 2007 to pool ideas for a community garden that will offer an outdoor classroom for local school children, a haven for wildlife and allotments for fruit and vegetables.

Since then the community garden steering group has lost no time. Garden designer Rebecca Govier used residents’ ideas to draw up plans making the most of the sheltered site visited by herons, ducks and the occasional kingfisher. The City of Edinburgh Council has agreed to build garden paths and Simon Daley has applied to Breathing Places, the Lottery fund that encourages local people to create space for wildlife, nature and community involvement.

“It’s ambitious,â€? says Davie Thomson, chair of Redbraes Residents Association, “but if we all work together we can show how to create a wee bit of sanity in the every day hustle and bustle of city life.”

That’s why Davie, Simon and the rest of the steering group are inviting local volunteers of all ages to get involved. To find out more, they say you are welcome to pop into the Redbraes Park Centre where you can see the plans and details. Your opinions and help are welcome too!

Telephone 0131 467 3879 or e-mail redbraes@blueyonder.co.uk

Add comment May 8th, 2008