Two years old! And what a fantastic couple of years!  We’ve had over 2200 people through the gates for 5 fabulous community events. Over 350 volunteers!  We’ve won awards, run workshops and garnered national media attention! We have brought a derelict bog into a blooming and productive garden and carved out a place for ourselves in the hearts of the good people of Bishopston/Horfield/Bristol.  We have done this, us as a community; a collective effort of digging, laughing, planting, building, supporting each other, putting up posters, cooking pizzas, weeding, watering and welcoming everyone who comes through the gate. It is amazing what a community can achieve.  Thank you everyone!

 

And to celebrate on Saturday we had a lovely little party. Incredibly we escaped the predicted howling gales and torrential rain and enjoyed cakes,  soup from the garden and a massive bonfire with old friends and new faces.  We planted a hazel tree in the edible forest and raised our mugs to many more happy years in the garden.

 

And the fantastic news that we secured £2000 of funding from the Quartet foundation was another reason to have smiles on faces!  Well done Clare and Ian!

The future is looking rosy!  We’ve LOTS of work to do and challenges to face but rest assured we won’t be hitting a fiscal cliff when our Local Fund funding finishes in March.

-We’ve money in the bank from our previous events and endeavors and we’ve money making plans afoot including selling more plants, flowers and allotment supplies.

-They’ll be more lovely community events and workshops.

-The lovely people at Bishopston Open Gardens have been kind enough to chose us as one of their causes.

-Wonderful people are stepping forward to be Friends of Golden Hill – with £650 pledged so far! Let’s see if we can get that up to £2000!

-The Golden Buds toddler group looks like going to be really popular- all the taster day places are already gone!

-More planned children’s adventure days

– Community groups signing up to be Golden Groups and taking on beds.

So there’s lots to be excited about.

So please keep supporting us, coming to get growing on Wednesdays is just part of it- become a Friend!  Help out at our events! Volunteer to put up posters! Let me know your money making ideas!

And talking of helping out….I love the cyclical nature of gardening, seasons coming round again, crops rotating round the garden again and jobs coming round again. So for the third time – I’m putting out a call for plant fosterers. Lovely people with sunny windowsill who are happy to get our chillies, aubergines and tomatoes off to a good start while our polytunnels are too cold.  We can give you all the equipment/compost/moral support you need, even drop them off outside your house if you’re local.  Then you’ll just need to drop your lovely green babies off in the garden in April/May.  There’s no stress if we share the load! So if yours don’t make it don’t worry someone else’s will.  So please step up and volunteer in the garden from the comfort of your own home.  Get in touch!

And please note as of now we’re back to our usual open hours 10-4 every Wednesday.

See you in the garden!

Lucy