Business Planning Gudie for ecological farm and forestry businesses
The Information You Need
One of the things our members (and would-be members!) find useful is our depth of knowledge and the useful information we provide. Sometimes it is hard to know where to begin to look for key information. That's why we have gathered so much vital information in our Resources Section.
We have divided Resources up into broad categories (see the headings below) and you can search using keywords too. If there is anything else you need to know, we are here to help, just contact one of Our Team in an office near you.
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If you are new to composting, or just want to improve your existing compost heap, here are some top tips and resources that will help you get on top of your compost.
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SF&G is working with Crowdfunder to support gardens, farms and community growing spaces to use crowdfunding as a way to fund their activities and grow big new ideas.
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Advice for food growers and CSAs (Wales Only) Gaining Planning Permission
Planning issues can be complex and frustrating, but many horticultural enterprises do succeed in getting permission for the buildings and...
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The contents of this factsheet are intended for general information purposes only and should not be relied upon nor used as a substitute for planning advice from the relevant local planning
authority. You should always...Develop your Project, Farming & Gardening, Safety, Your Group, Your Sitedevelop-your-projectfarming-amp-amp-gardeningsafetyyour-groupyour-site -
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If you are a grower in Wales looking for an allotment plot or a landowner seeking to make land available for growing, our Frequently Asked Questions are a good place to start.
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Originally created by our team in Wales in conjunction with the Welsh Government, this comprehensive toolkit aims to help ensure local authorities and others involved in the management of allotment sites maximise the potential...
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Easy to read advice and information on the issues you are likely to face when setting up, developing and sustaining a community-managed farm, garden or related community growing space. Available in both English and Welsh.
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Social Farms & Gardens have invited their trusted insurance partner, McClarrons to provide our members with information to reassure groups planning to undertake new activities/events this summer or to restart programmes...
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Download our free Signage posters below. These posters will help your site in your safety measures when you come to re-open - implementing these measures will enable us to get back into our amazing spaces.
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This is a glossary of topics to consider as coronavirus lockdown eases. It is based on insights from Social Farms & Gardens members. This document is a suitable start for small and large projects, gardens and farms and...
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A comprehensive guide on creating and editing video content for social media for groups working in the community farming and growing sector.
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The Business Partnerships Toolkit is an extremely useful resource intended as a primer for community growing groups to share with local businesses and potential corporate partners, which explains why and how businesses can get...
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For many people arriving to seek asylum in the UK, community growing spaces can offer vital and unique opportunities to find community, improve mental and physical health and to learn and share skills. These resources have...
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A factsheet to help you get the most out of your growing site all year round. You can use it to:
- Help you plan together with your group
- Anticipate and plan for seasonal gaps
- Involve ‘non...
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This brief guide has been prepared with our members in mind. It is only intended as an introduction to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and includes a link to the Information Commisioner's website which has a...
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This checklist has been designed to help you work through the issues that every community managed garden and farm should consider regarding safeguarding children and other vulnerable people visiting your site. The questions,...
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There are many benefits to installing and using renewable energy in city farms and community gardens. Renewable sources of energy have a low environmental impact. They are considered ‘clean’ sources of energy creating less...
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The Community Land Advisory Service (CLAS) is an impartial, collaborative service aiming to increase community access to land across the UK.
CLAS helps communities and land managers gain satisfactory agreements on...
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Over the last few years there has been a growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of community growing for physical and mental wellbeing. The Growing Well project was set up in 2014 by SF&G (previously FCFCG) with...
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This factsheet, endorsed by the Government’s Department for Communities and Local Government, demystifies where allotments law applies to community growers and when sites become designated as statutory allotments.
Co-...
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These videos are a useful illustration of the key issues faced by groups setting up, sustaining and developing any community growing project. They also give a fascinating insight in the way community growing groups develop and...
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Rearing farm animals provides such a lot of interest, learning, and other opportunities, both for visitors to your project and those caring for the animals on a day to day basis. However, you must make sure you take the...
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SF&G has designed a set of free-to-use, highly accessible Health & Safety signs to encourage farm visitors to wash their hands. Better signage was called for by The Griffin Report, following the EColi outbreak in 2010...
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Produce can be grown for a range of reasons and growing produce can have a range of social benefits, including those linked with healthy eating and food benefits. For community and therapeutic groups considering selling...
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This factsheet provides an introduction to making your project child-friendly. It includes discussion of the relevant legislation, outlines good practice and provides suggestions for activities that you can do to enthuse...
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For city farms and community gardens that work - or intend to work - with children and young people.
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This factsheet aims to provide an overview of steps you can take to ensure your project is as safe as possible for all who use it.
The following documents are also available to download and are referred to in this...
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A guide to growing on allotments for voluntary and community groups, staff from voluntary agencies co-ordinating the rental of allotment plots on which to run educational or therapeutic growing projects and allotment...
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Promotional ideas for community growing groups.
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This supplement to our community growing resource pack contains advice about setting up a community orchard or fruit garden, and small-scale production of food and drink.
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Fully revised and updated January 2017, 'Get Your Hands Dirty' outlines the potential for using growing plants and caring for animals in your school to enhance learning opportunities and raise standards.
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ResourceProvides detailed information. Your local library or Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) or other local organisations may have copies or follow the link below for further information from the publisher, Directory of Social...
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The Crop Cycle project provided a test bed for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in the community setting – the very heart of our Foundational Economy. Four sites were established in Wrexham, Cwmbran, Rhondda Valley and...
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A pack produced to help the general public, schools and community groups to garden in a changing climate.
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Cynhyrchwyd y llyfryn hyfryd hwn yn wreiddiol ar gyfer prosiect perllan Gogledd Ddwyrain Cymru 2012. Mae rhai copïau’n dal i fodoli ac yn cael eu trysori gan eu perchnogion! Symudwn ymlaen i 2020 ac mae Ffermydd a Gerddi...
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This lovely booklet was originally produced for the North East Wales orchard project 2012. A few copies still exist and are treasured by their owners! Fast forward to 2020 and Social Farms and Gardens are supporting community...
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The Cost Beneift Analysis model is used extensively by voluntary and community sector partners, as well as public and private sectors. The methodology can be applied to a wide range of activities relevant to community farms...
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Below we have selected some helpful resources to assist with supporting and encourage diversity in community farms and gardens.
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This page contains a list of key organisations and websites supporting UK based organisations, not for profits and community groups.
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The Sensory Trust is a leading authority on inclusive and sensory design. They use nature and the outdoors to improve the health and wellbeing of people living with disability and health issues, their families and carers....
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Free trustee recruitment guide,free advertising service and lots of free recruitment templates including trustee ads, board audits, interview questions and induction packs.
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The purpose of this briefing is to help community growing groups that currently run ad hoc corporate team volunteering events or receive enquiries from companies but haven’t yet hosted a team to:
• Assess whether to...
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Pro bono traditionally refers to legal work undertaken without charge, especially for a client on low income. However, is is increasingly being offered by other professional services including financial advisors, architects,...
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This is a collection of resources and guidance for community growing groups interested in producing cider (or other fruit-based drinks) to generate income. Information is taken from an event at EarthTrust in Oxfordshire.
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Social investment tax relief (SITR) is a tax relief for social investment which encourages individuals to support social enterprises and helps them access new sources of finance. This brief guide provides an introduction for...
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Growing cut flowers for display and sale can create an income stream as well as having a beneficial impact on your volunteers and beneficiaries. They also look great! This case study features tips and ideas from Amanda Clay...
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This briefing looks at the effects of VAT on the most likely income streams of community food growers. It is intentionally brief and provides links for further information. It is provided as an overview and starting point for...
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Crowdfunding is a form of community finance, where money for projects is gathered from a large number of stakeholders via an online crowdfunding campaign site. In most cases, the contribution is in the form of donations (of...
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Crowdfunding is a simple idea - but there's a lot of things involved in running a campaign with a good chance of success. Based on information received from community growing groups who have run campaigns - alongside our own...
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This short briefing sheet is a guide aimed at helping community growing organisations develop the confidence to approach businesses - either small local firms, or national companies.
Businesses can support community...
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Workplace growing spaces are experiencing a higher profile as the demand for community growing spaces has increased. This is particularly relevant in areas where few open spaces are available to people and where those people...
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For many groups the idea of trading to generate income for their project can be a daunting one, but small-scale trading not only brings essential diversity in your income stream, it also creates many opportunities for...
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This document contains three case studies where businesses and institutions have, with the help and support of Social Farms & Gardens, created workplace growing sites, so that employees can enjoy the benefits of communal...
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The big brand Go Compare and Duffryn Community Link, a small community growing group, have worked together for the benefit of local people in one of the most deprived areas of Wales.
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Rooted in Hull, which brings the concept of a ‘farm in a box’ directly into the centre of Hull, has worked extensively with the local business community, including Bonus Electrical.
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Space To Grow is a community growing project hosted by Lloyds Banking Group in Edinburgh, which aims to use outdoor and indoor spaces, at various business sites, to enable employees and communities to grow food and flowers....
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Queen's University in Northern Ireland has helped educate The Bridge Community Garden about business support.
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The Guide For Landowners (updated 2018) has been produced by the Community Land Advisory Service in Scotland (managed by SF&G) and provides free,...
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This action pack is designed to provide the information you need on all aspects of a Community Composting operation. Help and advice is offered for all stages, from the initial planning to the distribution of your valuable...
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The purpose of this guidance is to help community gardens or farms establish a café that can generate an income to help support the rest of the site.
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Find out about the success of our Growing Together initiative - download the final report and case studies document.
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Projects from across Wales and beyond came together for the 2017 Tyfu Fyny Annual CSA Gathering in September. This is a summary of the meeting and provides access to all the workshop reports, presentations, videos and other...
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The Open University has a wide range of free online courses which could be of interest to managers and trustees of community growing projects.
For example, the Open University's Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership...
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Having adequate insurance cover is vital for all farmers, gardeners and growers, whether you are providing care services, inviting visitors onto your site or organising volunteer work days and other events.
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School Food Matters campaigns for fresh sustainable food in schools and promotes food education through cooking, growing and visits to farms. It's mission is to ensure that every child enjoys fresh sustainable food at school...
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Our Scotland team have produced two case studies about community gardens who either have school groups regularly using their site, or who have their garden based on school grounds.
Each case study highlights both the...
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With the massive groundswell in community growing the relevance of developing a collective voice is stronger than ever. This factsheet has been written by our Scottish team to help you establish a network in your area,...
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This factsheet describes what biodiversity is and why it is important, how your garden can contribute to increasing biodiversity and how gardening with wildlife in mind can help your project. Includes top tips and advice on...
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Increasing numbers of community gardens across are including outdoor cooking and sharing meals in their garden activity. This factsheet, published by our Scotland team, describes the many benefits these local food related...
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The Access to Farms Partnership, which includes SF&G, has released a practical Risk Management Tool to help farmers and other farm visitor attractions look at their venues and plan ways to make the best use of their...
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We all have to answer the call of nature: yet the chances are that if you are working on your allotment plot or community garden, the back of a hedge is your only option. Installing a toilet can make it easier to attract new...
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A guide to evaluating health and wellbeing outcomes for community growing programmes.
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The Growing With Schools project was set up by the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens to provide support for hands-on growing activities in schools, through a series of hubs, with experienced school growers helping...
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A comprehensive toolkit created by SF&G, to help community growing groups, particularly those who are more established, with the process of recording and archiving their valuable history.
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A factsheet to help anyone charged with managing an allotment site develop strategies and solutions to tackle vandalism and security issues on their site.
This factsheet is one of a series of factsheets, along with a...
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Allotments provide a number of health and social benefits but are often inaccessible for the people they could most benefit. Many managers and associations are keen to improve access to their sites. The need to do so is...
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Unlike most commercial farms, livestock reared and kept on city farms have contact with large numbers of people, many of whom will have no experience of livestock and may not know how to behave around farm animals. Close...
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NCVO connects, represent and support voluntary organisations in England. Huge range of resources and information on all aspects of running a voluntary organisation.
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All gardens begin with good intentions, but because of the absence of a workable long term management plan some can become derelict and unloved. This guide outlines good practice to ensure the long term sustainabilty of...
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There are many reasons for a school garden and lots of different designs to suit every objective. This handout from SF&G's Community Garden Training Course provides suggestions to get you thinking. Each one can be adapted...
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Lots of useful publications including 'The Complete Fundraising Handbook', 'Complete Charity Media Skills Training' and DIY guides to publicity and public relations, 'Just about Managing' and 'Voluntary but not amateur'.
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Works in partnership with the media industry to support the voluntary sector's communication needs. Programme of workshops and seminars.
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Recognises high quality green spaces in England and Wales managed by voluntary and community groups.
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One of a number of useful factsheets produced by Trellis, the organisation supporting therapeutic horticulture in Scotland.
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BEN reaches out to ethnic communities in order to stimulate participation. It also helps mainstream organisations gain the necessary awareness and skils to work effectively with ethnic communities. The website gives access to...
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Since 1990 LTL has been helping schools across the UK to bring lasting improvements to the environmental quality and educational use of their grounds. Lots of useful publications for all ages and stages of the curriculum. ...
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This guide highlights important questions that board members and managers need to consider, so that you'll never have to say "I wish I'd said something sooner".
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Payroll giving is one of the most tax-effective ways to donate to charity. This website explains how the system works.
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A national charity leading UK volunteering in policy and practice.
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The aim of DBS checks is to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults who may volunteer or visit your project. Getting a DBS disclosure is a legal obligation in some circumstances, or a requirement for insurance...
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The purpose of this Code of Practice is to help ensure visitor health and safety by provdiing sensible, practical and proportionate guidance on preventing or controlling ill health at visitor attracctions.
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Provides a foundation or understanding the role played by finance in your organisation.
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A network of professional firms giving pro bono advice to community groups.
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Several useful publications, including: ‘Charity reporting and accounting: The essentials’ (CC15a); ‘The essential trustee: What you need to know’ (CC3); and 'Managing charity assets and resources: an overview for trustees’(...
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A comprehensive guide from Coops UK to understanding the systems and processes concerned with the running of a sustainable community enterprise.
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Useful checklist for considering legal structure options for your organisation.
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A whole range of wildlife gardening resources.
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A joint UK-based initiative by the RHS and the Wildlife Trusts giving information, project ideas and a monthly newsletter aimed at attracting more wildlife to your garden.
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For information on how to test your soil visit the BBC website.
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Can provide list of companies providing soil testing services.
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Expert advice, guidance and support on taking ownership and/or management of under-used land and buildings.
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Explains the role of Local Government in the UK's democratic system.
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Types of council, decision making, spending and accounts, local councillors and elections, and how to make a complaint.
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Meanwhile Space works with landlords, landowners, developers and local authorities to advise and deliver projects that relieve them temporarily of liabilities (insurance, rates, security etc.) associated with holding redundant...
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A guide to growing on contaminated land produced by the Grow your own Scotland working group. The principles outlined in the guide apply anywhere.
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Information on volunteering and social action in Scotland.
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Information on volunteering and social action in Wales.
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Information on volunteering and social action in England.
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