Community Garden Network events and training Feb 2024
Our Community Garden Network seeks to help community gardens and community gardeners to get together and share ideas and experiences, as well as skills, training and funding possibilities. Through these activities our small and increasingly resilient network of gardens and gardeners in Hackney is growing. We work with and signpost to other organisations to help provide access to support, advice and opportunities to get together with people living locally who have similar interests. More than 15 community green spaces have benefited from being part of the network so far.
As our community grows we want to share any events, volunteering opportunities, training or stories to you have so please let us know what is happening in your space.
The Big Garden Birdwatch
Over 7 million birds were counted over the weekend as part of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Over a million House Sparrows were counted along with 819,098 Blue Tits and 623,837 Starlings.
We’d love to know if you took part, what you saw and if you have any pictures please share them with us.
These counts are so important, since the survey began in 1979 Song Thrush numbers are down 80% and we’ve lost 38 million birds from UK skies in the last 60 years.
First aid training
ecoActive can cover the costs for a limited number of Community Garden Network volunteers to join a first aid course at the Leaside Trust in Clapton. Please contact us if a member of your group would be interested.
Gardeniser Programme
Apply Now for a place on Gardeniser Pro February 22nd – 26th 2024
Prove and improve your skills and knowledge of successful community growing.
Enjoy five days of lively learning and site visits to beautiful places alongside other community growing leaders.
Gain an internationally recognised qualification and the opportunity to become a Gardeniser Trainer yourself.
Demonstrate to funders and stakeholders that your organisation - whether large or small - delivers at a high professional standard and provides multiple benefits to your community.
Orcharding Certificate, London
CICO is a unique course that combines high quality online learning with 7 action-packed, face-to-face training days. You will learn from orchard experts at a range of community orchards across London, and top up your learning at home with over 100 online resources.
The Level 3 course is accredited by Crossfields Institute and involves some homework. We’ve been running CICO courses since 2017 and they’ve been hugely successful, with over 170 students becoming qualified orchardists.
Useful networks that are free to join
Hackney Union of Gardens via Good to Grow
Community Gardening Questionnaire 2023-24
If you’ve been involved with one of the gardens in our network we’d love to hear from you and would be really grateful if you could fill in this short questionnaire (and please do send this on to anyone else in your garden group).
