Community spirit shines at George Street Fun Day

We loved being part of this project, with our Devonport ranger, Laura, compiling ideas and feedback from local residents. We then co-created a design for the George Street Community Garden, and teamed up with National Trust Saltram to support a fun day where everyone could get involved with the improvements. Since then, we have been supporting the keen families at George Street with gardening and caring for the space. This project is just one of the many nature-based improvements happening as part of the Green Devonport Plan.

Here is a copy of the article written by Plymouth Community Homes (PCH)...

Residents and local community members rolled up their sleeves at the end of August at the George Street Fun Day, bringing people together to improve the outdoor green space and get creative with craft activities. The fun day was organised by PCH and Green Communities, a Plymouth City Council led project working in partnership with National Trust, connecting people and wildlife in Devonport, Central Park, Keyham and the West of the City.

A great deal of fun was had by all involved, with young residents getting stuck in planting bulbs in the newly built planters and raking fallen leaves with the Green Communities team and National Trust Rangers. Ryan Huws and Hayley Kemp, Communities Workers at PCH also took time to meet with residents, host craft activities and clean up two existing benches to give them a new lease of life. The National Trust Rangers from Saltram were also invited to help out and also created a new bench out of a tree stump, creating a new seating area for its residents.

Crystal, a local resident who joined the fun day with her son, said: “When I first heard about the Fun Day and plans to improve the outside space at George Street I thought it was a great idea. We had a great morning and we’re really glad to see the difference it’s already making.”

The changes came following feedback from George Street residents earlier this year, where the team found out their ideas and worked with them to collaborate on improvements.

Ryan Huws, Communities Worker at PCH, said: “Residents at George Street Flats appreciated all the effort made for the gardening fun day in August. The weather was perfect and a good crowd gathered to enjoy the space.”

Laura Bell-Hodges, Green Communities Urban Ranger, said: “Green Communities and Plymouth Community Homes teamed up with local residents to transform an underused space into a vibrant community garden for everyone to enjoy.

“It was a fantastic day filled with planting colourful pollinator-friendly flowers and edible plants, building a bug hotel, creating a wind chime sign, and unveiling a unique carved seating area made by National Trust Rangers from the trunk of the tree that once stood in the space. The garden is already becoming a place for people to connect with nature and one another, with Green Communities continuing to support residents through a new community gardening group."
The community event was the first to benefit from the donation of compost / soil improver received from Coastal Recycling, as part of an ongoing partnership to support environmental initiatives and community projects throughout the city.

If you have a suggestion for improvements to your communal outside space and to find out if we can help, contact our Communities and Partnerships team on 0808 230 6500 or communitiesteam@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk.