Diggin Ayrshire is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Charity Number: SC 048564.

Diggin’ Ayrshire is a Community Growing project with a difference. The project is being led by Mike Stewart, supported by Kath and Niamh Stewart, based in Ayr, South Ayrshire.

What are we planning to do?

We will be engaging charity members and volunteers in community gardening projects across Ayrshire and will be working to inspire local residents to join community gardening projects as a way of promoting healthy outdoor exercise for a worthy cause.

We will then distribute free of charge all of the fresh produce grown to the local elderly and other identified needy causes.

We will also use the community gardening projects to educate young and older local residents in agricultural growing techniques and engage with local schools to promote student learning programmes.

How will we deliver these activities?

We will work with local landowners, farmers and local authorities to secure small areas of land in locations across Ayrshire that will be dedicated to community growing projects.

We will support local communities across Ayrshire that wish to start their own community growing projects.

We will work closely with local authorities and other charities such as ‘Help the ‘Aged’ and ‘Age UK’ to identify local elderly residents who would benefit from a regular supply of free fresh vegetables.

We will establish a delivery system using volunteers to deliver the fresh produce out to the local elderly residents.

We will work closely with local authority educational departments and local schools to establish links between the community growing projects and schools, providing the opportunity for students to get involved and learn the art of growing food.

Promoting Active, Learning and Supportive Communities.

We will Inspire communities to come together with the ultimate objective of providing support to local elderly and other needy residents, but in the process encouraging people to get involved, get active and out digging and growing in the fresh air.

Diggin’ Ayrshire is all about encouraging a more active lifestyle within the community, learning how to grow fresh produce, encouraging schools and young people to actively engage in the community growing projects, and providing free fresh produce to those who would most benefit from it.

Supporting the local elderly and other needy residents.

We will distribute free of charge all of the fresh produce grown by the local community growing project to the local elderly and other identified needy causes, the community will be helping to support its own neighbours who are less able than themselves by providing free healthy fresh produce for their tables.

Promoting education and learning.

Through engagement with local schools, SRUC Scotland’s Rural College, and other learning programmes, Diggin’ Ayrshire will utilise the community gardening projects to help educate the young in agricultural growing techniques. We will do this by donating specific areas of the community growing project to local schools for their use, and we will support the students with tools, seeds, advice and anything else they need to help their individual growing projects.