Today's work party divided their attention between the bays of St George's church and the park. Blackcurrants and gooseberries were planted and the boundary of the park was also readied for sowing wild flower seed. Representations have recently been made to a local social landlord with regard to planting their under-utilised green spaces with edibles. We are currently awaiting their response to our expression of interest. Meanwhile things move forward apace. Last weekend's St George's free family festival publicised LEAP and elicited feedback, all of it very positive - on the project and our vision of edible green spaces in the Horsefair and surrounding areas. We have a lot of new seedlings that will soon be planted out in various existing LEAP sites in St George's Park, Baxter Avenue, Baxter Gardens Park and St George's churchyard. The fruit tree population has burgeoned since the project started less than a year ago and there are now apple, pear, plum, almond, damson, cherry, quince, mulberry, mirabelle and a chutney hedge comprising of hazel, elder, blackthorn, rosehips and hawthorn. We have planted local varieties like the Worcester black pear, Shropshire Prune damsons and Warwickshire Drooper plums amongst others. The LEAP project has also reintroduced cherries to what was until the early 20th century a major cherry growing area. We have so far planted, or had local primary school children in collaboration with our WFDC parks department colleagues plant, four varieties of cherry so far Black Oliver, Summer Sun, Waterloo and Stella. All these fruit bearing trees are in place as part of the Let's Eat the Park vision of free nutritious food growing in an area where there is significant food poverty and high usage of the local Food Bank. We are planting the future of increased fruit, vegetable and herb availability across the LEAP locality, most of the results of which will not be seen until after the initial funding ends in 2016 and therefore beyond the life of LEAP as currently organised. However, we aim for sustainability - so we are looking beyond the two year project to an ever unfolding community based gardening initiative with LEAP as its originator and guiding principle.
May 2015
May 2015