The Long Beach Community Association advise that they have been successful in their grant application for the community focussed project in Long Beach pending formal permission from Eurobodalla Shire Council for the establishment of a community garden.
An invitation is now extended to anyone in LBCA or MBRA or LLB who has a strong interest in discussing the location, the wider function of what a garden is and the role it plays in developing social cohesion in a community. The next steps are to look at the options of shaping the garden and how it will operate and self sustain into the future. Much like the SAGE gardens in Moruya and the Tuross Head Community Gardens there is the potential for any proposed gardens in Long Beach to be far more than a plot to grow random carrots and over zealous zuchhinis. The Royal Botanic Gardens Community Greening team is currently seeking Expressions of Interest from schools, early childhood centres and community groups in bushfire affected areas in Southern NSW who would like to create their own garden.
The Greening team say "We believe in the healing qualities of therapeutic horticulture and its ability to beautify spaces, empower individuals and connect community. By providing on-going face to face support, online gardening workshops and educational modules we are looking to co-design and build community gardens in your towns."
Darren Martin of Sowing Seeds of Hope is visiting Long Beach today,Tuesday 7th at 3.00PM at the site of Higgins Park, (Old Playground, junction of Blairs Rd and Sandy Place)
Darren is visiting up to 30 sites on his fact finding tour including Long Beach enabling the community the opportunity "to discuss what is involved and who is interested in carrying the initial project through council approvals and construction and who will then take up the running and financing of the community garden in the years to come".
If you are interested in the project contact LBCA@longbeach.org.au, association@maloneysbeach.com, or lovelongbeachinc@gmail.com as they have are moving to create a working group to guide the development of the project through Council and make it something our Cullendulla Communities can be proud to support.
More about Sowing Seeds of Hope Bushfire Recovery Project
Frequently Asked Questions
What is our budget?
There is no specific amount for individual projects as requirements and costs will vary between sites. Generally, we are guided by the permaculture principle, ‘Use Slow and Small Solutions’. When considering the size of your garden, start small and slowly build over time. Our goal is to create sustainable, resilient food producing spaces that bring community together.
What things can we get for our garden?
All gardens are unique and have different needs and wants. Some gardens will be starting from scratch whereas others will be building on existing designs. Participants will also bring different levels of skills and knowledge. Community Greening encourages sustainable practices that creatively respond to individual situations. Our goal is to ensure gardens meet the needs of the community while being mindful of their environmental impacts. An example of this is building soil through composting or installing wicking beds to reduce water usage.
Who will do the work?
As part of the expression of interest, applicants were asked to indicate individuals, community groups and organisations that would be interested in supporting the project. Community Greening in partnership with the steering committee and support groups will co-design and construct the garden. The upkeep of the garden will be the responsibility of the community.
How long will the project take to complete?
The Sowing Seeds of Hope project aims to co-design and construct a minimum of 30 gardens across several LGAs. Many projects will commence in early 2022 and be completed during the year in different stages. Community groups are encouraged to continue to develop their garden spaces between visits by Community Greening.
How will workshops be run?
Workshops are an integral part of the Sowing Seeds of Hope project. During the construction stage of the project, there will be many hands-on opportunities for participants to actively engage and improve their skills and knowledge. There will also be workshops on topics of interest for individual groups. Topics include, composting, worm farming, propagation, seed saving and soil building.
How long will we have the support of Community Greening?
One of the unique features of the Community Greening program is its ongoing support and even when the Sowing Seeds of Hope funding ends, we are only a phone call or email away. Community Greening engages with community groups across the whole state and can arrange visits at different times. We also run online workshops, Master Gardeners programs and have many online resources available.
