Buzz Community Garden’s winter update

Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust’s Community Activator Maria Perrett gives an insight into life at Buzz Community Garden as it approaches a major milestone. She reflects on a decade of community growing, partnerships and perseverance, while looking ahead to what’s next for this much-loved green space. 

As part of our partnership project at Buzz Community Garden we like to share regular updates with our networks to raise awareness and keep our community connected. This is just one of the ways we promote the amazing community growing spaces in Lockleaze. By sharing what we’ve been up to, we aim to inspire and motivate all residents to get involved. 

We are now approaching the 10th anniversary of Buzz Community Garden – a decade of producing food, promoting climate action, permaculture gardening and being a vital outdoor learning space for residents. 

We have been delighted to welcome so many partners over the years to make full use of the space. We’ve had Avon Wildlife Trust delivering free nature-based play sessions, a design and plan your own garden course with Bristol City Council Community Learning with another starting in June, and we’re a regular venue for Shift Bristol students to put their theoretical learning into practice. We are also fortunate to have support from corporate volunteers at regular intervals. 

We love being part of the Get Growing Trail every year and we are connected to some amazing growing and food initiatives across the city all of them real community assets. 

Through the community garden we have also been able to invest in residents who invest in their community. It’s enabled us to create real paid opportunities to support their growth by sharing their skills, passion and knowledge with their neighbours. 

We have had some ups and downs over the years, with gaps in funding, flytipping and fluctuating local support to name just a few of the challenges, but we persevere because we know the real value of championing and fighting to retain our green spaces. We know what these spaces mean to you, our pollinators, our wildlife, our climate and our community. 

Winter is often a quiet reflective time when the focus changes to maintenance, tidying and looking after the wildlife that share the space. But behind the scenes we are busy planning and reconnecting with our amazing contributors. 

Keep an eye out for our posts (find us on Facebook and Instagram) as we get ready to relaunch our regular sessions where everyone is welcome, from the keenest gardeners to those who just want a quiet space to connect with their neighbours.  
 

We’re hugely grateful that the garden is currently supported by a Quartet Megawatt grant. 

To stay updated on future events, job opportunities and news, don’t forget to sign up for the Bristol Good Food Update at bristolgoodfood.org/newsletter.