Liverpool is full of community gardens and green spaces, hiding in corners of the city that could easily be missed unless you know where to look.
Community Garden Week, celebrated annually in the first week of April, is a time dedicated to honouring the vital role of community gardens in fostering connection, sustainability, and well-being.
For each community garden, there is a story behind the work that they do and the reasons why they exist.
Although not an exhaustive list, below offers a glimpse at Liverpool’s community gardens and how to get involved this spring.
Squash – Grapes Community Food Garden
Founded by artists, Squash is an award-winning community organisation, home-grown on Windsor Street, Liverpool 8 since 2010.
In 2009, Squash designed several food garden spaces on Windsor Street, using permaculture and other regenerative urban agriculture principles.
Squash has trained many Liverpool 8 residents to tend these spaces, offering learning skills including garden design, composting, seed-saving, food growing and healing plantlore (the use of plants for medicinal purposes).
Squash has run Liverpool’s annual Seed Save & Seed Share events since 2016.
Where: Grapes Community Food Garden, Windsor Street, L8 1XE (next door to Toxteth TV)
When: Open garden sessions each Wednesday from 10am to 1pm.
Visit https://squashliverpool.co.uk/gardens for more information.
Faiths4Change
Faiths4Change is an environmental charity currently working across the Liverpool City Region and Cheshire.
The group encourage a commitment to sustainability, social justice and environmental justice.
Their mission is to work in partnership with people of different world faiths and none; to develop trusted relationships and skills that can transform lives, communities, and neighbourhood environments.
Where and when:
- Grow Well Together at Roots in the City (Tuesdays 10am to midday).
- The Secret Garden on Queens Drive (Wednesdays 10am to midday).
- City & Guilds Horticulture at the Secret Garden (Wednesdays 1.00-3.00pm).
- Garden Drop in at Roots in the City (Thursdays midday-3.30pm).
- City & Guilds Horticulture at Roots in the City (Thursdays 10am-midday).
- Young People’s Garden Group at Roots in the City.
Visit https://www.faiths4change.org.uk/whats-on.html for more information.
Granby Winter Garden
The Granby Winter Garden is the place Granby people decided to make for themselves.
It is a culmination of all the community-led activity that got most of the empty homes in Granby Four Streets restored and lived in again.
The Winter Garden was opened in March 2019, with the garden designed and planted by the gardener in residence Andrea Ku.
The idea is that it brings the ‘guerrilla gardening’ the people of Granby have long done on their streets into an inside gathering space as well.
It can be used for workshops, events, artist residencies and social gatherings as well as a shared space for gardening.
Where: Granby Winter Garden Weekly Drop-in, 37-39 Cairns St, Liverpool L8 2UW.
When: Every Sunday from 12 to 4pm, Monday from 2 to 5pm, and every Market Saturday.
Visit https://www.granby4streetsclt.co.uk/granby-winter-garden for more information.
Grow Speke
Grow Speke is a community garden in South Liverpool, delivered in partnership with Groundwork, Merseyside Police and Blackburne House.
Groundwork manages a team of local volunteers and look after the day-to-day running of the garden. Merseyside Police provide funding through the Proceeds of Crime Fund, while Blackburne House provide further funding and deliver a bee-keeping project on the site.
The community space relies heavily on the generosity of local volunteers to develop and maintain the site.
Where: Ganworth Road, Speke, L24 2SA
When: Volunteer days are advertised on the group Facebook page.
Visit https://growspeke.southliverpoolhomes.co.uk/volunteer/ for more information.
Everton Community Gardens
Everton Community Gardens is a growing space for residents and visitors.
Between 2003 and 2004, hundreds of resident volunteers contributed over 3000 hours of time, meeting twice a week and transformed the gardens.
The project was funded through a combination of 5 grants from organisations like the ASDA Foundation, the Skelton Bounty, LCC Liverpool Neighbours Fund and Cargill, as well as the group’s own resources.
Where: Prince Edwin Street, Liverpool L5 3LW
When: Every Tuesday 10am to 1pm, and Friday 1pm to 4pm.
Visit www.facebook.com/FriendsofEvertonPark/ for more information.
Walton Community Garden
In 2018, Walton Community Garden worked alongside Liverpool City Council to acquire an unused former site within the park.
In May of that year, the garden’s transformation began.
The group held several consultations with both the community and the park visitors to see what they would like in the park and what their vision was.
The garden has gone from strength to strength and has grown in many ways.
The group now put on community events in the park, including working with other park friend groups and outdoor education workshops with local schools and charities.
Where: 1 Blackthorne Rd, Liverpool L9 1HZ
When: Volunteering hours can be discussed by contacting the Community Garden Team.
Visit https://waltonhallparkcommunity.org/campaign/ for more information.
These spaces are a snapshot of what’s on offer across the city.
Community gardens are a product of their environment, upheld by the volunteers that give up their time to care for them.
Why not get involved in celebration of Community Garden Week?
