An organic garden close to Penzance offers courses and workshops for novice growers along with home-grown produce
Support worker Nathan Surry at the Community Garden
February 2020: Every Thursday morning, visitors to Penzance Country Market can buy organic vegetables, fruit and flowers grown just one mile away, in the Community Garden at Gulval. In this sheltered, south-facing space, experienced horticulturalists and novice gardeners work together to plant or harvest broccoli and beans, apples and aubergines, peppers and pears, tulips and tomatoes, strawberries and salad leaves. Sales from the market stall are ploughed back into the work of Growing Links, the Community Interest Company which manages the garden.
The seeds of the scheme were sown more than 10 years ago, with the launch of the PE&T Project, designed to give practical help to people interested in growing their own produce but with little idea how to go about it: the letters in the title stand for Plant, Eat and Teach.
A local farmer offered a field, which was initially divided into four plots. There are now 20 allotments, as well as an acre of communal growing space, and the Community Garden has also become the hub of a variety of other projects run by Growing Links.
Street Food Project provides a daily hot meal and a friendly chat for local homeless and vulnerable people, while Food Store delivers store cupboard essentials and fresh vegetables to families in need. Famallot is a community allotment which gives families with young children a place to plant, dig and play together, and Young Food Activists aims to build the confidence and wellbeing of 11 to 15-year-olds through outdoor activities and cooking workshops. The workshops are part of a programme of courses run by Growing Links co-ordinator Lynne Dyer, which also includes practical sessions in organic horticulture and applied permaculture.
Growing Links can help people who are unemployed to find work, and provide meaningful activity for those who are unable to work because of physical or mental health problems. The organisation’s ethos is that working in the open air is beneficial for mind, body and soul – as is good food. Freshly-baked vegan pizzas are always on the menu at the Community Garden’s regular open days.
Support worker Nathan Surry, a qualified horticulturalist currently studying for a social science degree, has a special interest in social prescribing, the practice of health professionals referring patients to non-medical community services. “I work with anyone who comes in, whether they want help with filing in forms or a chat and a coffee,” he says.
Ten years ago, on-site facilities were basic, consisting only of an ancient army tent. There is now a Portakabin with a fitted kitchen, and a polytunnel where the salad leaves are grown, to keep them safe from the attention of the local rabbit population. Other wildlife is more welcome. Visiting birds include wagtails, finches, blue tits and robins: one robin is so tame that he comes and sits in the cabin.
“We’ve tried to make the site hedgehog-friendly,” says Nathan. “We haven’t seen any yet, but we make sure we’re very careful when we have a bonfire, or tackle a bramble patch. We’re also hoping frogs will eventually come to our pond.”
Human visitors are always welcome. “For anyone interested in growing organic food, there’s always something to do – but it’s also a space to come and find some peace. At the bottom of the site, there’s a wild garden, where people can go for a bit of quiet time – they can even take a kettle down with them and have a cup of tea.”
Growing Links is funded largely through the generosity of volunteers and supportive local businesses, and donations are always welcome. Visit www.growinglinks.org.uk to find out more.