The Growing Project

Discover The Growing Project, a community-led growing scheme supporting the vulnerably housed and people in crisis

The communal garden at St. Anne’s Hostel, DigbethThe Space

Kirsty Clarke - Artist Chef - St Anne’s Hostel

“The project at St Anne's aims to really think about how we can use the produce that we are growing to create our own pickles and ferments; things that we could potentially use as an enterprise in order to give the participants the control over the produce that they produce."

The Growing Project - Garden Portraits, St Anne's (2021-07-01) by Sima GomezThe Space

The Growing Project

Fruit tree blossom at Richmond House garden.The Space

What have we done?

Working with the residents we have transformed this space into a welcoming place to sit, rest and socialise with other residents.  By planting edible trees and plants, wild flowers and water, we are encouraging as many birds, bees and butterflies to breathe life into this space. 

The Garden at Richmond House, featuring Kieran -volunteer workingThe Space

The green results

 The residents sew the seeds of regeneration through growing together, making the site a more welcoming and habitable space. The residents, the wider community and the natural world will reap the benefits of the residents’ labour as the garden site blooms.

Richmond House residents painting the shed in the hostel garden.The Space

The garden site creates an increasingly welcoming space for the residents to inhabit, offering respite from crisis through their gardening activities. 

The garden at Richmond, featuring Spring Housing Lucy - Community Engagement Lead (2021)The Space

The gardens are a testament to how green-sensing urban spaces through collaborative efforts can positively contribute towards social and environmental justice, creating a stronger sense of community for the people who occupy those spaces.

The Garden at Richmond, featuring Gardeners, Residents and VolunteersThe Space

Matthew Cox - Gardener - Hagley Road

 I’m interested in creating more green spaces, not just for growing vegetables but also to bring more wildlife into the city and into people’s back gardens. The benefits for the residences …is that we can use it as a way to engage and socialise and build that bridge…”

The Growing Project - Garden Portraits, Hagley Lodge (2021-07-01) by Sima GomezThe Space

Welcome to the Hagley Road Garden

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