GEORGIA
HARRISON
HULME COMMUNITY GARDEN CENTRE
leaf street site
hulme community garden centre
Hulme Community Garden Centre was created in 1999 by 3 residents of Hulme who wanted to help the gradually
generating area by providing a communal green space, and to promote healthy living through gardening and home grown food.
It provided a place for the diverse and fragmented community to engage with each other.
I attended one of the weekly seed sewing classes. Whilst there I interviewed 16 people who were visiting the garden centre. Most lived in flats and houses without gardens. They all shared similar opinions about the need for more green spaces and the need for a better sense of community in Hulme.
UNICORN
GROCERY
Unicorn is a cooperative grocery in Chorlton, South Manchester. It opened in 1996 offering a range of affordable, fresh and wholesome food.
They grow most of their produce on land outside of Manchester's centre. In 2007 they built a 'living roof' to their grocery store where they grew a small selection of fruit and vegetables.
The diagram on the left shows seasonal fruit and vegetables grown in the uk.
family trees of people I spoke with connected via common beliefs and desires regarding community engagement and green spaces
seasonal UK fruit and vegetables
"I love coming here to grow vegetables, I can't at home because we don't have a garden."
"I've made friends with the other kids who come here who I wouldn't have met otherwise."
Jess, aged 8
John, aged 76
"I really look forwards to coming here every week. I love chatting with everyone and meeting new people from my area."
Sessions are held weekly for children and adults of all ages where they are taught the basics of gardening such as pruning, sowing, tidying, weeding making repairs to garden structures and making plant supports.
There are also well-being sessions held for those with depression, OCD and schizophrenia as a form of horticultural therapy.
The centre is run by the community and its volunteers.
key:
baby
child
pregnant mother
parent
grandparent
shared beliefs
blood relatives
conection