On Monday 3rd October 2016 we welcomed around 20 visitors to an open day at our Selsley Community Growing Scheme as part of the fantastic Stroud Valleys Showcase.

In the beautiful parish of Selsley, we are fortunate to be able to use some private allotments that had been neglected over the last 20 years. We decided to develop this site as an example of best practice in community growing schemes. Our focus is on growing a range of organic fruit and vegetables for our volunteers to share, saving our own seeds and making our own growing medium and fertilisers. Nearly everything on site is recycled including the shed!

Over the years we have developed the land from what was once waste land covered in brambles into a flourishing and abundant garden, reliant on a core group of volunteers who toil away every week. This year especially we have had a bumper crop and we are very proud of the steps we have taken. There is always more to be done though and more land to be reclaimed. It’s also crucial to keep learning and teaching and get the local community involved. With that in mind we were delighted to take part in this year’s Stroud Valleys Showcase.

The event celebrates the district’s green and sustainable projects. It was run this year by Stroud Nature and Transition Stroud during the first week of October 2016.

Organiser Helen Royall says in an interview in the Stroud News and Journal that the show is a celebration of all the thought-provoking and ground-breaking projects in the Five Valleys:

“We have so much to be proud of here in Stroud – I think it’s about time we celebrate and talk about our achievements.

“Our community has long been a beacon for excellent and sustainable practices. Stroud has done, and continues to lead the way nationally on many green and sustainable issues.

“Some of the projects we have going on here really are some of the finest examples of community-led schemes anywhere in the country.

“I want local people and visitors from other towns across Gloucestershire and the country to come together to recognise and talk about all the progress we’ve made.”

There was a lovely group of visitors on the open day at our Selsley Community Growing Scheme, we brewed tea on the open fire pit and had many interesting conversations. Thanks to everyone who came.

You can find out more about the Stroud Valleys Showcase on their website here: http://www.stroudvalleysshowcase.org.uk/

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