Greenwood Community: Tangmere Community Garden
Encouraging wildlife to a community garden in Tangmere
As part of our Greenwood Community scheme, last month we made a donation to Tangmere Community Garden, located in West Sussex. Tangmere Community Garden has been developed over the last fifteen years on land owned by the Parish Council. The garden is focussed around growing fruits and vegetables, as well as encouraging knowledge, skills, community, and friendship for its members.
The area first began as an unpromising, rough plot of land on the edge of an airfield, but with the dedication and foresight of a group of local volunteers, it has developed into a fruitful, calm, and restorative space that is welcome to all. An especially exciting event for the members was back in 2015, when the garden was featured on a TV show “Mary Berry’s Absolute Favourites”; as a result of this, they gained many new members.
As part of our donation, we put together a selection of wildlife friendly plants, as well as bulk bags of compost for planting. The plants included Hebe, Lavandula, Nepeta, Salvia, and Erysimum; these species are highly valuable for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Attracting pollinators to green spaces helps plants to thrive and flourish, and provides the soil with a range of essential nutrients, as well as promoting biodiversity—preserving our fragile ecosystem.
Throughout the years, the members of Tangmere Community Garden have had to be resourceful in achieving their goals. There is always a need for funds which have been raised through memberships, open days at the garden, and participation in local events, including village fetes and Christmas fayres. Every year, they host an open day and welcome villagers to come along for the local produce; it’s a great social event for all.
Tangmere Community Garden always welcomes new members to try their hand at gardening. There is something for everyone—digging, sowing, picking fruit and vegetables, and assisting with tea breaks! Every Saturday morning, the team get together to share out the tasks, and some members also visit the plot throughout the week. Members take it in turns to bring and share meals to cook on their vintage barbecue or clay pizza oven. They also enjoy the freshly grown produce from their very own garden.
The members of Tangmere Community Garden are always grateful to the local businesses who support their efforts, as without their help and interest, it would not be thriving at the same level it is today. If you’re a keen gardener and would like to join, get in touch with the group; they would love to have you on board. To get in contact, send an email to Monica at monicamielgo@msn.com or pop down to the garden on a Saturday morning to meet the team.
Helping out our local communities is a priority to us, and we are proud of the many projects we’ve helped so far. We aim to reach 24 community projects this year and are making great progress towards this goal. Check out our Greenwood Community page for more information on our community initiatives.