An underused courtyard at a Southern Housing community in Coulsdon has been transformed into a thriving orchard and allotment in just 12 weeks, thanks to the dedication of local residents.
The space at Leaden Hill was celebrated with a summer party, showcasing how Southern Housing’s investment in resident led initiatives is creating greener neighbourhoods and stronger communities for all.
It features a place to grow fruit and vegetables, a bug hotel, and a rainwater harvesting station. It’s also a place where residents can now gather to laugh, learn and catch up with each other.
Funding from Oakwood Building Contractors helped support the work of Big Urban Grow and Southern Housing and its residents to make this project happen.
Earlier this month, Cllr Mohammed Islam, Civic Mayor of Croydon, joined local councillors and residents to celebrate this successful community effort.
Dominika Debinska, Places and Partnership co-ordinator at Southern Housing, said: “Residents were excited about the opportunity to bring new life back to this community space.
“From day one, people at Leaden Hill told us what they wanted this space to become and thanks to their ideas and hands-on involvement, an underused courtyard is now a thriving garden the whole community can enjoy.”
The project has helped residents learn practical growing skills and discover more about urban planting along the way. Residents played a central role in shaping the transformation of the garden.
Through door-to-door engagement and surveys carried out by Big Urban Grow, they were able to share their ideas about what they wanted to see and where they wanted different features to be located.
Tanya, a Leaden Hill resident, said: “This project has brought the community together and the children here are much closer. We’re looking to do our best to water the plants and grow more knowledge about planting.
“Thank you, Southern Housing, and to Cat and Samantha from Big Urban Grow for making this possible.”
Read next: Free activities throughout summer at Ongo’s community hubs
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