Maryon Park Community Garden Report

Maryon Park Community Garden

Maryon Park Community Garden: Chair’s Report for the Friends of the Park

2024/2025

Gardening and Growing

Plot-holders taking part in Capital Growth’s ‘Harvest-o-meter’ by weighing their produce, grew the equivalent of 295 meals during the 2024 season, 23 Kg produce.

Forest School

Windrush Primary School have four sessions Monday to Thursday. Their lead teacher, Anthony, has qualified as a ‘Forest School Leader’. The child-minder group attend on Fridays.

Child-minders Group

Our local Ofsted-ed child-minders group, run by the new leader Maria, uses the Community Garden children’s area and the Forest School space on Friday mornings.

Community Garden Members

Dan can no longer garden, his bed has been taken by Catherine and Ruth Tongue. Candy has taken on the two beds by the greenhouse as Dinesh, Bishnu and Sushala have return to full time work.

Volunteers

The Wednesday volunteer group has been busy this year with Dinah, Jess, Lulu and Sally helping the work with Kalvis the new Community Garden gardener.

The Good Gym the fitness group have worked as volunteers on the first Saturday of most months. They have been very helpful turning compost, cleaning paths and washing the greenhouse and moving large amounts of woodchip into the Garden and Forest School.

Visitors

We have regular visitors from the public including two professionals from the Species Recovery Trust who may re-establish ‘Starved Wood-sedge’ a rare plant originally found in historic Charlton.

Horticultural Therapy

New plot holder Candy Zhang will be running horticultural therapy sessions in the Community Garden funded by Greenwich Council and NHS.

The Green Room

The room is available for meetings, teaching, therapy, and counseling sessions at £5 an hour.

Fundraising

Fundraising has been very important this year as the Community Garden suffered its first serious vandalism with a fire damaging the Forest School pergola and with damage to the shed and gates. Paul ran a Pub Quiz in June. The repairs cost £800 with £730 raised so far.

Open Days

The 2024 Good to Grow and Urban Harvest open days were successful this year, but Capital Growth are unable to run the ‘Good to Grow’ week this year. The next Open day will probably be in June with the ‘Summer in the Park’ Maryon Park Picnic event.

Website, Facebook, and X (Formally Twitter)

The Community Garden has a social media presence and continues to provide regular photos and updates on the MPCG Facebook page.

Improvements, Maintenance and Gardening

CCTV cameras and warning signs have been installed overlooking the Forest School and Community Garden gates. Work is in progress clearing and planting the terraced bank with flowers as Kalvis, the new gardener, is bringing more colour to the garden. Extra fence panels have been erected by the path to the greenhouse. The main gate has been sticking and difficult to close. It had to be adjusted. The Forest School space floor will be renewed with “wood-chipped’ in the next few weeks.

MPCG

Chair: Tim Anderson and Secretary: Edna Anderson