Fortune Works, part of ENABLE Glasgow, is one of Scotland's largest social enterprises for people with learning disabilities. With support from the Grow Wild Community Programme, the group has created an inviting and biodiverse space on an unused grassy area in front of the center, hosting creative nature-based workshops for the whole community.
Fortune Works provides a full-time programme of personal and social development training opportunities for adults with learning disabilities, including gardening sessions within the garden centre at Fortune Works. For their 'Growing Together' project, the team wanted to create a new garden space for the gardening groups to learn more skills, and to increase biodiversity, whilst creating a beautiful spot for locals to enjoy.
‘We really wanted to focus on getting the space to be a place that the whole community can enjoy’, says project coordinator Rachel, ‘whether it's just passing by, stopping to have a chat, helping, taking the herbs, or having a seat whilst waiting for the bus. It’s a visible space in which our groups can garden, reminding people that we are here, we're part of the community.’
With support from Grow Wild, Fortune Works introduced decorated wildflower beds, a bench, and a public herb garden. Horticultural support workers helped with planning. The group enlisted local nurseries to help plant wildflower seeds and learn about biodiversity, and a volunteer offering advice from the Royal Horticultural Society It’s Your Neighbourhood initiative.
The service users in the gardening groups have been massively involved in building the planters, from lining and varnishing, to filling with compost and planting.
'Being outside and all the benefits that brings, like exercise, has had a really good impact on the people involved’ - Rachel, project coordinator
‘It's been nice to be in more of an open green space in comparison to the garden centre. Being outside and all the benefits that brings, like exercise, has had a really good impact on the people involved’, says Rachel.
‘People stop to ask questions about the garden too. It's created a public space to bump into people and have a chat.’
At the heart of the idea was to increase biodiversity with a focus on wildflowers, edibles and native Scottish plants such as heather. The group planted Scottish heathers, wildflowers including common knapweed, corn marigold and cowslip, Scottish strawberries and raspberries, chives, English lamb mint and wild garlic.
‘Trying to get to grips with what is native and what is not has been a learning curve. Especially because we are further north than some of the other Grow Wild groups, some plants that work in other places don’t do so well here. I've read a lot, which has been really interesting, and the videos and the calls with Grow Wild have been really helpful. The training sessions have given me the time, whereas normally I'm just relying on other people, I've genuinely learned quite a lot. The gardeners have said “you seem to know more than you used to.”’
The garden has already increased local wildlife, and there are lots of bees there now. They also have a little wormery on site, which is a big attraction for people to come along and learn about.
'This project has allowed us to extend that work and really give us a focus on doing this for the benefit of the community.'
‘We were already doing workshops based around biodiversity and the importance of looking the environment’, says Rachel, ‘but this project has allowed us to extend that work and really give us a focus on doing this for the benefit of the community.’
‘It's just about viewing gardening that bit differently. Obviously, the garden will still look really beautiful, but it is more that we're doing this to really benefit our environment and the people and the animals in it. And I think that it's been good to have that focus, rather than just thinking, how can we make this plant look good to sell... So, I think that's the highlight of the project.’
As part of the project, Fortune Works have provided free workshops and community events for local people of all ages, including nature-based craft workshops such as; willow weaving, cyanotype printmaking using cuttings, and a harvest vegetable themed collage workshop.
‘Having the workshops was a really good way to break down barriers that our service users can face within the community'
‘Having the workshops was a really good way to break down barriers that our service users can face within the community as they brought members of the public into Fortune Works, to get to know us. We've also been able to get service users involved who don't normally work in the garden centre but want to do crafts. Being free workshops, there's been no limitations on who can come. So that was really lovely, to be able to provide that with the Grow Wild grant money.’
'I think it's created a real sense of pride, ownership, and mutual responsibility of looking after our environment.'
‘The project has had a really good impact on Fortune works and the local community as well; it's created opportunities for us to work together, spread awareness around the importance of looking after our local community, and learn new skills. I think it's created a real sense of pride, ownership, and mutual responsibility of looking after our environment. We're really looking forward to next spring as well because we can build on the work we've already done and continue to make the space a sanctuary for us, the community, our service users, and the species that are enjoying it as well.’
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