Edible community garden springs up in Beeston

Residents of Beeston last Saturday (11 March 2017) worked together with members of the Leeds National Citizen Service (NCS) team to create an edible community garden in the raised beds outside the Dewsbury Road One Stop Centre.

The previously overgrown beds were cleared of weeds and grass – and filled with fruit bushes and trees, herbs, rhubarb, lavender, and more. The plants will take a few months to get established, but then – as with other local edible gardens like those in Cross Flatts Park and outside the Holy Spirit church on Tempest Road – members of the public are invited to help themselves to the fruit and produce, for free.

Those involved included members of Beeston in Bloom and Friends of Hunslet Moor – both of which are always open to new volunteers. And they were ably supported by local members of the National Citizen Service (NCS) – a free leadership programme for 15-17 year olds, featuring trips away, volunteering, mentoring, and more. Applications are now being taken for their Leeds programme this coming summer; to find out more, click here.

Local resident Ed Carlisle, who helped coordinate the event, commented:

“Food is such a basic universal need – and it’s great to see more of these edible community gardens springing up around south Leeds. It’d be amazing to see our area follow the lead of places like Todmorden, where local people have worked together to reclaim loads of unused spaces – big and small – to grow free food for themselves. This was a really fun little project – and it’s hopefully just the beginning…”

For more info on the Incredible Edible movement, which started in nearby Todmorden, click here.