If you are looking to spend more time outside and want to get to know your neighbourhood, why not join your local Community Garden. (Community gardens are an area of land maintained collectively by a group of people within a community) As a member you share the work of growing local plants and/or fruit and vegetables and creating an outdoor space for the local community to enjoy.
Community Gardens are a great way for both schools and communities to learn more about garden cycles and sustainable agriculture. Members will often run events and workshops, inviting more people from the neighbourhood to get involved.
Many of the gardens are located on City land, while some are on private land, and most of them are managed by local volunteers. Our director Patrick Ilott is a volunteer and member of the Brighton Road Community Garden in Scarborough, WA.
The Brighton Road Community Garden is a partnership between Water Corporation, the City of Stirling and the local community. A project that has transformed an everyday wastewater pump station into a green, inviting public space for people to enjoy some nature as they go about their day.
It takes a community to start a community garden, so if you want to gain approval from your Council you will need to demonstrate:
That you have a garden committee of at least 5 people willing to invest the time and effort needed to make your garden a reality
That there is widespread community support for a garden
There is already community interest in being involved if a garden was to be established.
As part of our business planning and sustainability policy, we allow for 2.5% of paid staff work time to go towards volunteering. We hope the initiative encourages our staff to meet new people, make a difference, be part of a community and learn some new skills.