Earlier this month Ardentinny Community Trust Director, Merle Ferguson attended the Growing Communities in Scotland conference. This is her report:

The event was organized by the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG) and Trellis. The Federation was established 31 years ago. To my surprise, their information map highlights 46 community garden sites which can be visited across Scotland, from Good For Ewe in Wester Ross to Crailing Community Orchard in the Borders.

Trellis was established in 2005 as the Scottish Therapeutic Gardening Network and works across Scotland with over 170 therapeutic gardening projects to support each other through the sharing of expertise, good practice and resources.

The day included numerous workshops and a visit to Perth Walled Garden. The main themes were: Social Enterprise and Shareholding; Gardening for Health Initiatives; Environmental Awareness; Transition from Oil; and Sustainable Horticulture Methods. Practical issues where Local Authority Guidance is essential, were Soil Health, Security, Environmental Health and Trading Standards Legislation.

The best part of any conference is networking and apart from the AppleTreeMan and his juicer, a highlight for me was meeting Ron Gilchrist from Fairlie Community Garden. Possibly Ardentinny Community Trust volunteers will be able to visit there in the near future (Greenway looks like a very lively and informative site).

If you are in Glasgow, the Hidden Gardens at the Tramway and Great Gardens run by Govanhill Housing Association are two different and exciting places from which to learn.

Best of all was the visit to Perth Walled Garden where we met the relaxed and thoroughly informative Head Gardener – another man who knows a Bloody Ploughman from a Cox!

Merle Ferguson.
Ardentinny Community Trust Trustee

NB. This day was self financed although at a cheaper rate because ACT is now a member of the Federation.