I am delighted to introduce myself as the new Climate Action Leeds Beeston Hub Worker. My name is Abi Paterson and I currently work within the Beeston community and surrounding areas as an Active Clubs coach for Health for All, promoting physical activity and healthy living.
Within my role as a hub worker I hope to connect further with the community of Beeston through linking with the amazing projects, volunteers and groups within the area. I am excited to get stuck into all things environmental and sustainable, whether that be planting flowers and vegetables in allotments or gardens, or running workshops around reusing and recycling.
My particular interests lie around upcycling and sustainable fashion and as a result I have started to learn to sew, which is something I am keen to collaborate and share with others.
During the past month, I have gone into the community and connected with different groups and organisations in the local area. This has included going to visit St Lukes CARES, Green Futures youth group and the Lychee Red group, as well as many other spaces in Beeston. Through this work I have discovered many new parts of the local area that I hadn’t been to before and have enjoyed talking to, and meeting people that make up this wonderful community.
At the beginning of the month, lots of work went towards the official opening of the Demonstration Yard on Marley View. This included planting and gardening sessions as well as adding the finishing touches to the space, creating a relaxing, social and environmentally friendly space. It is a great example of how you can create a biodiverse green space in a built up or small area.
Along with the opening, a ‘how to’ guide will be put together to facilitate other parts of the community to create their own usable, safe and eco bin yard in similar areas.
Currently, we are planning a community allotment day at Clarkesfield Allotments, where people of the local area are invited to come and help clear and re-plant the Health for All plot. This is so the plot is ready for interested community groups to use at their leisure, planting different plants and vegetables and having a space to connect with nature.
Anyone is welcome to come along and join in for as little or as much time as you have. Conversely, if you are interested in you or your group using the allotment, please me on the email below.
If you have any ideas on how you think Beeston can become more environmentally friendly or want to get involved in any way, email Ourfuturebeestonhub@gmail.com
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