Community Garden Training Programme - Thanks to Support from the Bupa Foundation!
We’re delighted to announce a brand-new phase for ecoACTIVE’s Community Garden Network, made possible through an exciting grant from the Bupa Foundation!
Over the next year, we’ll be boosting the skills, confidence and leadership of volunteers across our network through a special programme of 10 expert-led training events. These sessions will be hosted by community gardens themselves, creating fantastic opportunities for learning and for celebrating the brilliant green spaces already flourishing across our neighbourhoods.
Between November 2025 and September/October 2026, volunteers will be able to:
🌿 Learn new practical gardening and nature-connection skills
🌸 Try activities like making soaps with home-grown flowers and herbs
🐝 Explore pollinator-friendly planting and wildlife habitats
💧 Build climate-resilient, thriving community gardens
🤝 Connect and share ideas with volunteers from other gardens
We’ll also support at least 10 volunteer “champions” to take on more leadership in their gardens, strengthening long-term sustainability and community ownership.
This project builds directly on the energy and creativity already blooming across our network, and we can’t wait to see where volunteers take it next!
Growing Together Since 2019
Our Community Garden Network began with a simple vision: to support residents to create and care for green spaces they truly feel belong to them.
Since launching, we have worked with 15+ garden groups, adapting our support to match each garden’s needs. This includes:
Building planters and setting up compost systems
Community consultations to shape improvements
Skills training for core volunteers
Supporting joyful, family-friendly events
Purchasing tools, plants and equipment
Fundraising and connecting groups with partners
Guidance with constitutions, policies, insurance and admin
Networking events for volunteers to learn from each other
Our goal remains the same: to help gardens become confident, capable and community-led.
Celebrating 2024–25 Impact
This past year has shown the amazing dedication of our volunteers and communities:
👩🌾 321 local people involved
🌱 45 skill-building sessions delivered
🎉 19 community events supported
Highlights included:
✨ Clapton Park Estate - 40 sessions revitalising outdoor areas, building planters and engaging residents through gardening and nature
🍃 Evergreen Square - 12 family workshops involving 85 adults and 112 children, with school groups exploring local wildlife
We also provided essential support to Pembury Estate, Linzell Garden, Westmead Garden and Mabley Green, strengthening their long-term sustainability and community reach.
Why Community Gardens Matter
We gather feedback and monitor the benefits carefully, and volunteers consistently tell us that community gardens:
✅ Help them make friends and feel less isolated
✅ Offer new skills and a chance to share their knowledge
✅ Improve physical and mental wellbeing
✅ Build a deeper bond with nature and their neighbourhood
“I met a lot of people from around the Estate who otherwise I wouldn't have had a chance to talk to.”
“Being in nature has a calming effect on me. Also getting some sun and fresh air.”
“I’ve tried vegetables and herbs grown by my Vietnamese neighbour.”
Community gardens are watering the roots of connection, confidence, and community pride.
Thank You
A huge thank you to our incredible volunteers, residents, partners and supporters who make this work possible.
And to the Bupa Foundation, thank you for investing in grassroots action and community-led green spaces.
Here’s to nurturing even more friendship, learning and nature in the coming year, one garden at a time.
