Welcome Fiona!
A very warm welcome to our new garden group leader Fiona. Fiona has an art background and has gardened for many years. She is trained in earth education, earth walks and as a forest school leader. She has worked with schools on nature connection projects, helping to increase understanding of our connection to the natural world, through growing food, understanding the composting cycle, how we look after soil and how we can work with nature. Fiona shares her reflections below after her first week at space2grow.
This amazing willow structure was created by our volunteers to support beans and squash but before the plants went in Fiona and some volunteers couldn't resist climbing in!
pond life
Our lovely wildlife pond is almost finished and back to brimming with plants and wildlife thanks to the hard work of our volunteers.
We'd like to say a big thank you to Farnham Town Council for the donation of wildflower turf that now surrounds our pond and is already beginning to work it's magic with the wildflowers starting to flourish.
half term fun in the garden
Any families looking for activities during half term please join us on Wednesday 1 June from 12 noon for a picnic in nature.
growing & cooking
Our latest group of children from Potter's Gate School are having a great time learning about growing and cooking healthy food. It's wonderful to see these five year olds getting excited about planting vegetables and cooking tasty meals from scratch with Coral's Cookery School, like the burritos they made this week to take home for dinner.
wild home schooling
The latest visit from a local home school group saw the children exploring the pond and making beautiful boats to launch on the water.
in our garden
As well as lots of work on the pond our volunteers have been busy tending the vegetable and flower beds.
Can you help at the Farnham Festival of Transport?
From our friends at the Rotary Club of Farnham Wayside....
"We are in urgent need of volunteers at the Farnham Festival of Transport on Sunday 5th June in the Upper Hart Car Park in Farnham. The event is back after a two year absence and is going to be bigger and better than ever, with over 200 fabulous cars already booked in! Live music will be provided by the Rock Choir and The Missy Nelson Band and it promises to be a wonderful event. We urgently need volunteers though, to help as marshals in the car park, putting up and taking down gazebos etc and general help on site throughout the day.
If you can offer a few hours between 8.00am and 4.00pm on the day please contact Rotary's organiser of the event, John Vilton, by email: johnpvilton@gmail.com"
Jubilee plans
The acre will be closed on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June.
Please join us for a celebration tea party on Monday 6th June from 12 noon - 3pm. Bring along a cake or a packet of biscuits and let's celebrate together!
reflections from the acre
This week Fiona, our new gardening group leader, shares her reflections .........
"space2grow is a really beautiful, welcoming space and I love the fact it’s quite a wild garden in places. There’s space for all sorts of different kinds of plants, wild plants, cultivated plants and vegetables and I feel like that’s a reflection of all us – we’re a mixture of all sorts of personalities and within those personalities feelings and experiences. We’re all on different journeys and I love the fact that this garden mirrors so much of what it feels like to be human.
I love the sense of flow, that people are welcome to come in and be present, be themselves. There’s no pressure for them to work in the garden. If they feel they want to work they can and they’re supported, welcomed and encouraged. Everybody will come in from day to day with different needs and the space accommodates and supports that really beautifully.
I’ve really enjoyed meeting everyone and exploring the space. I feel that I’ve only just scratched the surface and I’m really excited about being part of this whole project. I’ve really enjoyed meeting people and listening to their stories and spending time with different people.
I’m really keen to encourage more green woodworking and crafts and bring more young people in. I love working with people of all different ages and backgrounds. It’s great how people here support each other. There’s a positive energy, a willingness to be there, support one another and to listen.
I love the fact that you can walk through the little door in the wall and step into a very different sort of energy. There’s a lovely stillness here and a very deep sense of being able to connect with nature and I believe that connection is very important and very healing. It’s a connection that many of us have lost in our busy lives and I think we all need a bit more wildness and connection with nature in our lives. I really encourage people to take a few moments to lie on the grass, smell the earth. breathe and listen to nature.
Everyone who comes here is so different and have their own reasons for coming here, what links people is a kindness and a sense of gentle support. It might be just sitting with someone and not really saying anything, just having a cup of tea together. The central table where we sit and have tea together is important. That might not be for everyone as some people are not comfortable in groups but that’s fine. It’s very accepting here for people to find their own space in the garden and that will change from day to day."
If you would like to share what the acre means to you please email info@space2grow.space - we love hearing everyones reflections.
As always, we are working hard to ensure that space2grow remains a Covid safe site so please email info@space2grow.space prior to your visits, don't attend if you, or someone you live with has tested positive, take any rubbish home and please adhere to social distancing.
Thank you and see you soon!