SF&G Scotland have launched a new report that examines the state of the sector a year into the COVID-19 pandemic.
The community growing sector’s experiences of COVID-19, as projects, communities and individuals has differed widely. Projects and partners across Scotland have come together and reached out over the last year to share and discuss our challenges and opportunities, to seek support and guidance. These insights are enlightening both as to the ‘state of the sector’ and the role it can play in recovery and renewal.
Our experiences may have differed, however, many of us share hope and a clear ambition to play a bigger part. Through over 80 voices, from across Scotland we share the reflections and lessons, the adaptions we have made through uncertainty and change, and the various stages of lockdown.
Click here to read the full report.
For the latest updates on the safe use of community gardens please see the guidelines here. We appreciate restrictions and exemptions differ considerably across different local authorities. We will post updates and what they mean for your activities on our SF&G Scotland Facebook page and clarify certain aspects of the guidance in our monthly bulletin. Please make contact with the enquiry service by emailing scotland@farmgarden.org.uk for further clarification, support or simply to talk something through. It’s always good to hear from you.
We have produced some signage (as mentioned in the guidelines) for you to print here. If you can’t access a printer or a laminator do let us know.
Implementing these measures will enable us to get back into our amazing garden spaces and take some respite with nature, enjoy some company (albeit from a distance!) and hopefully some harvest. Don’t despair if you encounter long grass or weeds - a little bit of wildness will have worked wonders for wildlife.
Now, more than ever we need local responses to food and a positive focus for people to engage with. Your work truly makes a difference.
Do contact us if you’d like some support to reset your activity or have any particular concerns you need support and guidance with scotland@farmgarden.org.uk.
If you are in need of support and guidance around any issues related to Covid 19 then we recommend referring to this resource by The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations:
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
It contains information on emergency funding, supporting volunteers, moving your support online and HR, to postponing your AGM and much more.
For our full Coronavirus COVID - 19 support page click here
Our role is to support communities to adopt an asset-based approach that enables them to develop, thrive and sustain - evolving with the people they serve. We bring expertise from our members and partners using a peer to peer delivery approach that saves time and money - helping people to get it right . We work closely with the Scottish Government to help shape and enact policies and practice that can support and deliver sustainable change.
They work with nature; building and nurturing healthier soils, gardening with wildlife and offering a broad range of educational opportunities to communities on growing and sharing local food. Increasing numbers function as hubs, sharing opportunities and services such as the redistribution of surplus food, clothes swaps and as facilities for health and wellbeing groups. Our support helps them to go further.
We offer a free enquiry service for anyone looking for support with their idea. The service provides valuable advice on key topics ranging from composting to volunteer engagement; as well as signposting to key contacts and simply being able to talk a practice issue through. We welcome approaches not only from communities needing support, but also agencies looking to support them; such as local authorities, third sector interfaces or housing associations.
Subscribe (link to scotland@farmgarden.org.uk) to our monthly bulletin with news, events, resources and funding.
Our members can access The Community Learning Exchange Virtual. A Scottish government programme that supports groups to explore and develop an idea directly with another group that has experience to share.
We can offer tailored training for sites or groups. Rather than teaching every individual to be a community gardener we seek to identify and coach leaders of activity to develop their skills and capacity in delivering practical and engaging garden related activities irrespective of age or ability. We are experts in delivering a broad range of topics from ‘Designing and running community consultation’, ‘Essentials to garden design’, ‘Designing a programme for year-round engagement’ and ‘Income generation’ to’ Effective composting in your setting.’
We work with a range of agencies involved in writing and consulting on their Food Growing Strategies - supporting people to identify and enact their approach and networking them with other partners with similar experience. We represent the members we serve through our advocacy and public affairs work combined with our role coordinating the Community Growing Forum Scotland. This means we are uniquely placed in leading on the key issues that we know are important to our communities - including health and wellbeing, and climate change.
If you’d like to know more about working collaboratively we’d love to hear from you, please contact: lou@farmgarden.org.uk
| City / County | |
|---|---|
| 1st Step | Linlithgow |
| AberGreen | Aberdeen |
| Abronhill Community Garden | Glasgow |
| Abundant Borders | Eyemouth |
| Alford and District Men's Shed | Alford |
| Alternatives West Dunbartonshire Community Drug Services | Dunbarton |
| Amisfield Walled Garden | Haddington |
| Appleseed: Grow Your Future! | Applecross |
| Aros Park Historic Walled Garden | Isle of Mull |
| Assloss Community Garden | Kilmarnock, Ayrshire |
| Avant Gardeners | Oban |
| Barra and Vatersay Environmental Services Ltd | Isle of Barra |
To contact our Scotland team please call 07543 035435 or email scotland@farmgarden.org.uk
Louisa Evans, Scotland Development Worker
email: lou@farmgarden.org.uk
Karen Davidson, Scotland Advisor
email: karen@farmgarden.org.uk
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