SF&G London May Bulletin - News and Events

London May Bulletin

We hope you are enjoying the change of season while managing to stay sun-safe and hydrated!

In this bulletin:

A training-themed online member gathering
A save the date for our international conference next spring
Lovely member and partner events
Some great offers from funding organisations
News of an exciting new UK-wide programme,

And finally we have some news from the London team. Siobhán will be leaving Social Farms & Gardens, it will be their last week in the office next week. Siobhán says:

"It's been lovely working at Social Farms & Gardens, I have had a great time getting to know so many of you, collaborating and learning with you! Don't worry, I will not be going far as I will be taking on a job with one of our London member sites.

Please do stay in touch if you would like to, and let me know if you would like to visit Core Landscapes."

New partnership to supercharge community gardening

Social Farms & Gardens has partnered with the RHS and Hubbub to grow the community gardening movement across the UK. A grant from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund will see SF&G supporting the development of networks and peer to peer training like we have in London. The RHS will lead on climate focussed gardening training, and Hubbub will bring new people into our sector.

The programme will help 20,000 existing community gardens expand their reach and impact, inspire the nearly 15million who want to garden in their community, and help secure land for growing in areas with limited access to green space through the SF&G Community Land Advisory Service. This is not a direct grant programme but we will be supporting community gardens to develop skills that help sustain projects.

While the focus is on northern England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, we are really excited that this programme is possible because of the work we do in London, and builds on the incredible work everyone in the network does and the support that we collectively show each other.

Photo credit Morenike Majekodunmi.

Read more

SF&G London programme

Our London programme continues with training and networking to suit your organisation, co-designed with London's gardeners and farmers, who are paid to deliver.

Recent training included 'Emotional Resilience on the Ground', 'Gardeniser London' and the 'Spring in Your Step' sharing day. We also hold networking days so you can visit other farms and gardens and have fun.

The programme recently saw London groups BOST and The Abeng Garden sharing their insights as speakers and panelists at the National Network for Community Gardening.

The programme is generously funded by City Bridge Foundation for a further three years.

Info comes through this newsletter and is on our events page: https://www.farmgarden.org.uk/get-involved/events

See our illustrated London report here

Member Gathering

Future Gardeners and Gardeniser

Join us to about two great training programmes Future Gardeners for horticulture career development, and Gardeniser for people honing their community garden co-ordination skills.

SF&G Member site Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) will tell you about the successful Future Gardeners training and work experience scheme, giving participants the core skills to gain entry level jobs in the horticulture industry without having any previous experience or specialist education.

Social Farms & Gardens will tell you all about Gardeniser, The next course, by the way, is at Oxford City Farm in July.

Thursday 4 June 4-5pm

Register for the members webinar

Have a Grow and London Open Gardens Weekend

Have a Grow' Day is a UK wide annual celebration of community growing hosted by Social Farms & Gardens taking place on Saturday 6th June 2026. It is an opportunity to help you bring in new visitors and volunteers and raise funds to support your work, all whilst celebrating the community growing movement.

You can also find community gardens to visit through London Open Gardens Weekend. Many of our members take part each year.

Have a Grow

London Open Gardens

London Harvest Festival 19th September

Join in or just turn up at this wonderful event organised by the London Association of City Farms and Community Gardens

The 28th Annual London Harvest Festival will be held on 19 September 2026 at Mudchute City Farm.

We'll have the annual favourites - animal show, horticulture competition, tug of war, project displays, crafts and Friday night camping

For more information please visit the website

Entry and all activities are free. Members of the public are welcome.

Photo credit Harry Sweeney

Register Here if you are thinking of coming with your project

Nature for Wellbeing Conference 2027

Save the Date: Nature for Wellbeing Conference

Social Farms & Gardens will hold an international spring conference on 14-16 April 2027. Please save the date, more information coming soon.

Find out more

Member events

Calthorpe x British library: Community Meal

Calthorpe Community Garden are rounding off a series of collaborative workshops with the British Library aimed at reducing food waste with a community meal. Join them on Thursday 4 June 3 - 5pm.

RSVP

Celebration of Octavia Hill's Red Cross Garden

On Thursday 4 June 2026, Bankside Open Spaces Trust is hosting a special community celebration at Octavia Hill’s Red Cross Garden, marking 20 years since the garden’s restoration and official reopening in 2006.

The event also honours the wider history of the garden. It was originally created in the 1880s by social reformer Octavia Hill, who secured the lease in 1886 and developed the space as a model urban garden for wellbeing, rest and community life.

Taking place from 3pm to 6pm, the free family-friendly celebration will bring together residents, schools, volunteers and visitors for an afternoon inspired by the garden’s Victorian origins and its modern role as a shared community space.

Celebration

Mudchute Agricultural Show

Rare breeds of sheep from all over the country will descend onto Mudchute Park and Farm to compete in a very special Sheep Show. A fresh produce marquee with cakes and community grown veg. There will be things to do for all ages and an array of traditional rural craft demonstrations to engage with and learn from.

Find out more

Spiritual Ecology Festival 13-14 June

A three-day festival interweaving storytelling, peacebuilding and ecology.
With talks, live music, storytelling, workshops, panel discussions, contemplative spaces and an overnight planting pilgrimage.

St Ethelburga's are offering a 30% discount on festival tickets to members of Social Farms & Gardens using the code FESTIVALFRIEND30

Book tickets

London Wool Day

On 27 June London City Farm Yarn project are celebrating the end of the London Wool fleece collections, with a pick and pack day at Woodlands Farm. There will be talks on fleece grading, fleece types. Spinning, knitting, workshops, films of process and a viewing of the amazing film by Paul Wyatt - Sheep, Actually. Follow London City Farm Yarn for more information.

Find out more

Send your news, events and jobs to [email protected] so they can be shared via this bulletin and on our social media.

Funding ideas

Easy Fundraising
Over £2.2 million has just been given to community and voluntary led organisations using easyfundraising. All courtesy of retailers giving donations when people shop online. Your farm or garden can be part of the next funding pay out in August by setting up a free easyfundraising page. Find out more: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/farms-gardens

Simply register your farm or garden as a good cause with easyfundraising and ask your network (volunteers staff, trustees, family etc) to choose you as the cause they want to support. Then, each time they shop online with over 8,000 well known retailers like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Booking.com, eBay and many more, they’ll raise a cashback donation for you, courtesy of the retailer they shopped with – at no extra cost to anyone.

Every three months, the money raised is paid to you and you can spend it on whatever you need to help your farm or garden keep doing it’s valuable work, including using it for your running costs as this classes as unrestricted funding. Find out more and register here: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/farms-gardens

Grassroots Grants
Unrestricted grants of between £500 and £2,000 for voluntary or community organisations, including registered charities/companies, whose annual turnover is no more than £25,000.

This third year of funding is being delivered by Groundwork in association with Postcode Lottery.

Applications close in September 2026.

Learn more: Grassroots Grants

Black Funding Network
Applications are now open for the Black Funding Network Autumn 2026 Funder Event, taking place on Thursday, 17 September 2026.

Three organisations will be selected to introduce themselves at this autumn event. Each will receive fundraising support, pitch coaching, marketing, and the potential to raise £6,000+ in less than two hours on the night.

Applicants should be small Black-led community organisation working to create social impact in the UK. The Network are particularly looking for organisations with a commitment to racial equity, a compelling track record, and a passion for community impact.

Applications close at midnight on Wednesday 24, June 2026.

Apply here: Black Funding Network

Funding for charities working with disability
A second round of The Wolfson Foundation’s health and disability funding programme is now open.

Focussing on capital builds, they have funded projects such as the creation of a training kitchen for adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs, and the refurbishment of a hospice.

Learn more: Funding for charities working with disability

Community improvement grants
Funding to accelerate community resilience by supporting sustainable infrastructure and nature-based solutions.

A limited number of UK grants (3-5) are available from the international ServiceNow Community Improvement Fund. The grants can be used to launch new projects, expand existing projects or introduce one of three established community programmes.

Apply by Friday, 19 June, 2026

Learn more: ServiceNow Community Improvement Fund

Funding to support the resilience of organisations protecting freshwater ecosystems
Through the latest round of the Charity Aid Foundation’s Building Resilience Programme, CAF are aiming to help address the funding gap for freshwater ecosystems by combining flexible funding with tailored support to strengthen long-term resilience of the organisations protecting these environments.

Join CAF for an overview of the programme and a discussion of any questions. 11-12pm on Tuesday, 2 June 2026.

Applications close: 12pm noon on Monday, 15 June 2026

Learn more: Building Resilience Programme

Grants for community projects near Biffa landfill sites
Biffa Award offers funding across five themes. You can easily check if your project is close to a Biffa landfill site on their website. Other than the Large Partnership Grants, Expressions of are accepted on a rolling basis.

Learn more: Biffa Award

Cool Spaces for London Communities Project
Support and grants of £2,700 available for ten charities, community groups, faith organisations or existing hubs in London to provide accessible spaces that can support local people during extreme heat events.

Expressions of interest to be submitted by 11.59pm on Monday, 1 June 2026.

Learn more: Cool Spaces for London Communities Project

Small grants supporting work with older or disabled people
Barchester's Charitable Foundation offers grants of £100 to £2,600 for projects, activities or equipment to combat isolation and loneliness among older or disabled people.

Next application window: Wednesday, 1 July to Friday 31 July 2026.

Learn more: Barchester's Charitable Foundation

Social Farms &Gardens is a registered company and registered charity.
Registered Address: Cultivate Community Garden, Pendinas, Llanidloes Road, Newtown, Powys Wales Cymru SY16 4HX

Email: [email protected]
Company No: 2011023; Charity No: 294494 (England & Wales) SC039440 (Scotland)

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