Grow, Cook and Eat Lawrence Weston
At the community allotment run by Ambition Lawrence Weston new growth is emerging from the winter months. In this blog, Donna Sealey, shares how they are connecting residents with local nature and food through the Community Climate Action Project.
Finally, signs of spring are around us, the snowdrops and daffodils are coming through and the evenings are getting lighter – it has been very cold and dark the last few months and we have been taking a break from our community allotment.
During the recent half term we had an amazing couple of days down there with families from the local community, on Monday (in the sunshine) we made a big bug hotel, a toad hole using a clay pot, and made pizza pockets on the campfire. Tuesday was a little different though, it was very wet but that didn’t stop us, we ventured out onto Lawrence Weston Moor where we made nature journey sticks, then headed back to the allotment for hotdogs and onions on the campfire.
The community allotment is a great asset to have in Lawrence Weston, it is a safe place for people to come along to. We are supported by Sara Venn from Edible Bristol, our community Ecologist from Avon Wildlife Trust Eric Swithinbank, and we have the expertise of Luke Murray for woodwork and basketry.
On Mondays, we run a weekly session for residents to come along, help grow, learn about planting, help weed, and have a share in the produce that we grow.
In school holidays we run two sessions a week for young people and their parents or carers, these sessions have included bug hotel making, habitat building, bugs, dirt and slime up close (using microscopes) pebble painting and scarecrow making. The kids love it and enjoy being outside, pond dipping, looking for creatures, and picking fresh food that we turn into lunch on the campfire.
We have just been permitted to bring back into use four overgrown plots of willow. We are blessed to be supported by Clear Channel who have been supporting us over the last year or so with some Corporate Support days, this is when some of their team members come along and help us out with some of the bigger jobs, last year they helped erect our shed, build us some decking and dug our pond, and next week they will be coming along with their tools to help us clear the willow. Once this is back in operation, we will have our own willow for our basket-making and wreath-making classes with local residents.
We hold a lot of other events for the residents of Lawrence Weston that link in our food growing and the cooking and eating aspect of our project, to get a taster and to have a look, you can see our events live on our Eventbrite page.
If you would like more information about our grow, Cook and Eat Lawrence Weston Project then please contact Donna.sealey@ambitionlw.org.
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