Local gardening group Woodford Greeners has successfully managed to raise more than £6,000 to build a brand-new community garden in Ray Park. The group’s co-founder Lydia Fraser-Ward reports
Within Ray Park there is an octagonal 18th-century walled garden, which is currently closed to the public. Inside is a wild, natural habitat, but some areas have become overgrown and this will impact on the site’s heritage value. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, the Woodford Greeners – which is run by local resident volunteers – is now set to build a brand-new community garden on the site.
We will clear a small area of the premises currently overgrown with weeds. We then plan to put in a mains water supply as well as create a planting area for perennial flowers, which when fully grown will be moved to public planters around the Woodford Green neighbourhood, including around Ray Lodge Primary School and in front of businesses on Snakes Lane East. In addition, the funding will enable us to create a small medicinal garden and erect a timber gazebo, where we will hold regular workshops about gardening, food-growing and crafts, enabling more local people to get involved and learn new skills.
This new Ray Park Community Garden has been made possible through public donations via an online crowdfunding platform called Spacehive. Around 80 people and community groups all made contributions, including the Wanstead Community Gardeners and the 19th Woodford Brownies, amongst many others. Public donations were then match-funded by Redbridge Council through their Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy.
The Woodford Greeners also ran a very successful winter fundraising event at Ray Park Café in early December, when local residents were able to enjoy Christmas wreath-making, face painting, homemade cakes and gingerbread decorating, which raised more than £700 for the project.
We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support of local people for this project. So many residents have told us how excited they are by the prospect of a new community space within the walled garden at Ray Park and they have really got behind the idea. We can’t wait to get started!
Our project will help to bring to life an unused area of the park and make it more accessible to the public. It also presents a wonderful volunteering opportunity for residents to come together and learn about gardening, forge friendships and be physically active outdoors.
Work to create the Ray Park Community Garden will be ongoing throughout winter and spring 2023, with a view to commencing a creative workshop programme in the summer.
For more information and to get involved, visit woodfordgreeners.uk or email woodfordgreeners@gmail.com
