Planting Places Awards
PLANTING PLACES AWARDS 2010 – WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
The following ten greenspaces have been named as this year's Planting Places awards winners. Congratulations to everyone involved, and many thanks to the judges (from Arup, Natural England and NHS South West).
Apex Leisure and Wildlife Park, Highbridge, Somerset
The Chiswell Earthworks, Portland, Dorset
Hayle Library Community and Wildlife Garden, Hayle, Cornwall
Kemble Community Gardens, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Morrab Garden, Penzance, Cornwall
Oakfrith Wood, nr Devizes, Wiltshire
Pentylands Country Park, Highworth, Wiltshire
St. Gurons Way, Bodmin, Cornwall
Steeple Woodland, St Ives, Cornwall
Young's Park Conservation Area, Paignton, Devon
More information on each of the winners will follow soon!
The Planting Places awards – recognising greenspaces that are making fantastic contributions to the sustainability of their communities – will be running for a 3rd year. The awards, coordinated by Sustainability South West, are now open to applications from any public greenspace in the South West of England. This includes everything from parks, community gardens and allotments to green routes (ie cycle paths), play spaces and even cemeteries and rooftops. The greenspace can be any size. It can be privately funded, community, conservation group, NHS Trust or council land. But it MUST be free and accessible to the public, and for public use and enjoyment.
PLANTING PLACES AWARDS 2009 - and the winners were...
Planting Places trophies were awarded to the following worthy winners in our second annual Planting Places awards:
Overall – Penhill Orchard, Swindon
Engaging the Community – Torre Churchyard, Devon
Supporting Biodiversity - Maningham Wood, Cornwall
Promoting Health & Well Being – St Neot Doorstep Green, Cornwall
Responding to Climate Change – Russell Town Avenue Community Allotment, Bristol
The standard of all the entries was extremely high, which made a difficult task for the judges! Planting Places, SSW and the judges would like to thank all the local greenspaces who entered and for all the work they are doing to support sustainable communities across our region. Please see below for more information about all of the winners!
This year's awards are supported by: the Architecture Centre, Environment Agency, Natural England, NHS South West and ARUP .
Overall Winner – Penhill Orchard, Swindon
The Penhill Orchard, planted on a disused allotment, sits right next to the Seven Fields Local Nature Reserve, Swindon. As well as providing free fruit for an area of disadvantage, it enhances the space for wildlife and provides and preserves a very pleasant place for the local community. It was set up in response to Swindon Healthy Eating group/campaign. The Orchard is entirely managed by a group made up of community residents. We lease the land from Swindon Borough Council. We have been lucky enough to win enough grants and awards to plant the Orchard and purchase tools etc. The gates are left open for anyone to walk around or through. Now the Orchard is planted, with goodwill, it will continue to grow and provide free fresh fruit – almost zero miles to pick and eat for the majority of people living in the area. There is no exciting design, it is set out like a traditional Orchard, Fruit trees and bushes were specifically chosen to give a long fruiting season and the boundaries are planted with garden type shrubs, identified as good for wildlife. People need places of peace and calm, that do not grate on the nerves, are not subject to constant change – they now can enjoy this in the Penhill Orchard too. The wildlife benefits (as do we) from it and the windfalls of fruit too.
Best Practice, Engaging the Community – Torre Churchyard, Devon
Friends of the Churchyard was formed in 2005 to rejuvenate this ancient churchyard. As our volunteers come mainly from the surrounding streets, the community has been involved from the outset. From being a "no go" area, with running fights between drunks and drug addicts, this is now a wonderful green oasis in the centre of Torquay. Residents have once more taken ownership, and now wander through with their children and dogs, stopping for a chat with their neighbours. The old sense of true community has returned. When we set up our urban meadow, Year 5 children came from our local primary to help us plant. They will be more involved with history and natural history learning packages, centred on this wonderful resource in their midst.We have carols by candlelight every December, and get involved in English Heritage Open Days. In 2008 we had a wonderful medieval day with cooking over fire pits, strolling minstrels, and a queue for the stocks! 2007 saw the 60th anniversary of the setting up of the parish memorial garden. We arranged a rededication service and invited families of those fallen servicemen from the parish who are remembered by our distinctive white crosses. Although this is a designated area of deprivation, it no longer feels like that, as everyone takes a pride in where they live.
Highly commended – Modbury Millennium Meadow, Devon and St Neot Green, Cornwall
Best Practice, Supporting Biodiversity - Maningham Wood, Cornwall
Maningham wood is a small woodland in the centre of Illogan under the leasehold and stewardship of the Illogan Parish Council. It was formally opened in October 2004 by Lady Mary Holborrow as a Community Doorstep Green following extensive works to make it accessible after many decades of neglect. The Friends of Maningham Wood group was formed to help the Illogan Parish Council steer the management of the woods as a community nature conservation initiative, and represents direct community action within the Illogan area. There is a programme of volunteer action, dealing with maintenance of the shrub beds, litter picking, keeping paths clear and managing brambles, bracken and other invasive plants which pose a threat to the local biodiversity. We hold nature appreciation activities such as nest box building, tree planting, native bulb planting, mini beast safaris and ‘nut hunts’ for seed collection - all geared to increasing awareness of the value of the wood and maintaining biodiversity. The biodiversity of the woodland is maintained by the planting of native trees and bulbs and the replacement of felled trees with saplings and nest boxes. It is managed with wildlife in mind and all felled wood remains within the woodland to provide shelter for small mammals and reptiles, and as food for invertebrates which feed the mammals and small birds. Hazel and Hawthorn have been planted to increase the autumn food sources for wildlife, and no chemicals are used within the woodland to ensure that fungi and invertebrates also thrive.
Highly commended – Modbury Millennium Meadow Devon and Torre Churchyard, Devon
Best Practice, Promoting Health & Well Being – St Neot Doorstep Green, Cornwall
St Neot Doorstep Green is the culmination of a massive community effort to turn a land and river locked meadow into a beautiful garden and performance area. Using a £60,000 Big Lottery grant from the (then) Countryside Agency and over 2,000 volunteer hours, a wooden bridge now spans the River Loveny into the garden where winding paths and a riverside boardwalk meander through grass and shrub boarders to the stone amphitheatre, the local school linking with the eastern side of the village. This project was not just about building an open space, however. The villagers of St Neot have created a centre of opportunity, right in the heart of the community, where villagers of all ages and visitors alike can relax, exercise, enjoy a concert, pass through as part of a circular village walk or en-route to school, hold a bar-b-q, weed an area of shrubbery or just sit and look at the vistas or the young people of the village on their bikes or skateboards. And it is a lasting link to the community, as the green continues to be supported by volunteers who weed and propagating plants and holding fundraising events. Without doubt, for a feeling of being at ease with the world, there is no better place and that does a power of good for the soul!
Highly Commended – Badock’s Wood, Bristol
Best Practice, Responding to Climate Change – Russell Town Avenue Community Allotment, Bristol
RTACA origins date back to 2003, having moved from its original site, via the Black Development Agency, to its present location at City Academy Bristol (CAB) on Russell Town Avenue two years ago. Consisting of six core residents, key objectives for the group are to promote RTACA, welcome new members and increase the number of visitors to the allotment. CAB students use the site exploring through practical activity such as rainwater harvesting and composting, where food comes from, self-sufficiency and reducing reliance on non-renewable resources. Prior to cultivation, drainage of the area was very poor. Now there is better uptake of water and improved soil quality. An interesting, lively space that is used for training, social events as well as growing food has been created. RTACA allows local residents to share ideas about preparing and cooking produce, whilst some have also had opportunities to develop skills in landscaping and garden construction projects. We collaborate with other local groups and contacts in sourcing recycled or organic materials, and sharing information about events such as plant/seed swaps and workshops. It's an enriching experience being outdoors, connecting with nature and discovering the seasonal impact on the plot, and also through working and learning together to achieve a common goal - producing fresh, tasty, healthy, lower mileage food! For more information email rtacommunityallotment@googlemail.com
LAST YEAR'S AWARDS
The 2008 Planting Places awards celebrated and rewarded 10 brilliant examples of urban greenspaces in the region. We wanted to showcase greenspaces that are making a host of contributions to the sustainability - from supporting biodiversity and local food/energy production to improving community well-being and inclusion.Thank you very much to all the projects who entered the awards - we received nominations from a fantastic number of amazing greenspaces from across the region. We are pleased to announce the following projects as our 2008 winners (in no particular order):
1. Urban Heaths Project - Bournemouth & Poole
2. St. Werburghs City Farm (Boiling Wells) - Bristol
3. Tuckingmill Valley Park - Camborne, Cornwall
4. Weston Woods - Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset
5. Victoria Park Action Group - Bristol
6. Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve - Bradley Stoke, S Glos
7. Community Garden at Hayden Rd Allotment - Cheltenham
8. Bristol to Bath Cycle/Railway Path
9. Belmont Sensory Garden restoration - Exeter
10. Diggin' It Organic - Plymouth
Winners were presented with a specially commissioned piece of artwork for their greenspace at SSW's annual 'Local to Regional' event in Weston-super-Mare on the 6th March.
Have a look on the 'case studies' page for more information about each of the winners.
Visit the Sustainability South West Web site.
© 2007 Sustainability South West - UK registered charity, no. 1106125 - info@sustainabilitysouthwest.org.uk.