We would like to install an innovative nature friendly approach to flood defence to our community garden, using gabion cages, creating a series of bug and creature 'hotel' walls. filling the gabion with broken terracotta pots / pipes and foraged fallen branches, slates and bricks a variety of textures and spaces for wildlife to thrive. Our concerns over flooding are not the same as they were two years ago, but we need to do our best to protect our space and our residents.

A sample Gabion for wildlife

Behind the wall we want to plant further heritage orchard trees, which are vital to our project plans in creating juicing days, and creating heritage based workshops such as black butter cook up days. Enhancing the area with varieties which are flood tolerant. and complimenting the willow and silver birch we have recently planted.

Planting Fruit trees on the public orchard which now we would like to extend.

 

We want to work with the nature forces in play on the farm, but sometimes the weather simply can't be stopped. recently we had an unexpected amount of flooding on the new site, which was not devastating like the last site, but certainly the community garden will need significant help to ensure we do not loose all the hard work we have put in so far.
We also want to develop the garden to support and enrich the local residents rather than work against them. Giving the pollinators and small mammals safe places to live without impacting our growing. And creating hedgehog hides and wild bee hives along side our producing apiary.

 Flood Defence will be needed to protect our much loved gardens. 

The development of this social farm is extensive and we have worked hard as a community to gather together the facilities and growth we have in the past 9 months. Now we want to continue growing and developing this amazing space for our local people and their families. Sadly due to the number of obstacles we have had to over come, we can't do that without your help and support either through donating, sponsoring trees, or volunteering.