Our Projects
We are involved with eight Community Gardens in and around Macclesfield.
View Community Gardens in a larger map |
New, Sunday working site, The Heritage Walk (opposite Halfords) Click here for details of working parties
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Prestbury Beaumont
Orchard regeneration and new vegetable garden construction
If you would like to help at Beaumont,
call 07824 860566
for details.
Click here for details of working parties
The winter months were spent clearing brambles and bracken, and pruning the apple trees.
In March, work began on constructing raised beds for vegetables.
By June we were able to demonstrate
a transformation of the orchard...
...and a very productive raised bed system to the residents.........
..at the opening garden party where
tea and cakes were served..
..by the Food4Macc team.
Beech Hall School
A new vegetable and fruit garden construction in the Bollin Valley
If you would like to know more call Abercrombie on 07974 851908 for details.
Click here for details of working parties
The team started the project in March. After lots of efforts, fun and luckily good weather, we managed to dig up 4 beds (23x5 ft).
A compost bin has been added to collect a maximum of green wastes from the site and the school kitchen.
April
To be a success, the site needs not only to produce good local quality fruits and vegetables, but also look attractive to the school community, where everyone is welcome to join in for a little bit of food growing.
Flowers will be added too between the crops to attract the beneficial insects and add some colourful shades.
May
We have planted so far some strawberries, beans, spinach, sweet peas, potatoes, carrots, onion, kohl rabi, chives, courgettes, squash and different varieties of salad.
3 trenches have been added to grow some raspberries and sunflowers.
Our engineers have designed a way to collect water on site.
On Saturday May 22nd we had a picnic for the children and parents to introduce them to the garden. Children were encouraged to plant some vegetables and a sunflower growing competition was started.
June
The Bollin Valley Partnership held their annual Taster event on the playing fields for people with disabilities. This attracted parties from as far away as Lymm, and many were fascinated to be introduced to the tastes of fresh salad vegetables straight out of the ground.
School lunches now include salads grown in the garden.
Food4Macc is grateful for the support of the outgoing Head of Beech Hall School Tim Scott, pictured here (right) with Phil Shaw.
The Site Notes for this site are in preparation.
The Rowans Care Home
New construction of a community vegetable garden
Twitter allows Sara to post messages about the Rowans here by text from her mobile.
You can receive these messages free on your mobile. So for example if a working party has to be cancelled due to bad weather, Sara could inform everyone by sending just one text.
To try it out for free and without signing up for anything
text Follow RowansF4M to 86444
(or 07624 800379 if that won't go).
You can cancel at any time by sending
UNFOLLOW RowansF4M to the same number.
Contact Sara for details 01625 619642.
The Site Notes for this site are in preparation.
Click here for details of working party dates.
At the Rowans Care Home off Bollinbrook Road, the staff and residents have been keen to be involved in developing a spare piece of ground.
A short laurel hedge was planted to provide a wind break, and raised beds were filled with locally sourced soil and compost.
Within a few weeks the results were a remarkable demonstration of how much food can be grown in a small area:-
On Friday June 18th, Deputy Mayor of Cheshire East Council, councillor Roger West, visited the garden as part of the celebrations of the official opening of a new extension to the Rowans building.
In October we began Phase II, planting fruit bushes on the more public south side of the building, training them onto espalier wires.
It is hoped this will make a very pleasant outdoor area for the residents. This work for the first time has been assisted by Community PayBack working parties.
Bollington Community Garden, Ingersley Vale
Food4Macc has joined forces with Bollington Community Garden. This site is unusual in that there are working parties on Sundays. The produce from this garden has been used to supply the Food4Macc Direct vegetable box scheme.
Bollington Community Garden is a communal garden for the growing of fruit and veg covering around ½ an acre. All growing is done organically with no pesticides or herbicides.
The garden is located on Ingersley Vale directly after the derelict mill buildings and was started in May 2009 by a group of keen individuals.
We meet communally on Sunday afternoons from 1.30 and one night a week in the summer.
In addition to soft fruit and vegetable beds we have planted 21 fruit trees as an orchard/forest garden, with apples, pears, plums, damsons, cherries and more.
The garden is strictly communal, all plants and beds are considered communal, people do not get their own plot and produce is shared out amongst whoever is there when it is ripe.
If you would like to get involved
or find out more please contact us at:-
Phone Karl on 01625 262749
or just come along at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon*.
*In the months November – March please make contact first to ensure someone will be on site on a Sunday afternoon.
All Hallows Catholic College
Food4Macc is extending the existing raised beds in the college's garden, and working with the students to prepare them for planting and to maintain them.
All Hallows web gallery
For more detail contact Phil Shaw 07968 215469 or 01625 404200
A 10metre polytunnel has been constructed
Bollinbrook School
Food4Macc worked with Friends of Bollinbrook, constructing raised beds in the school's grounds.
See our blog entry for more details
Friends of Bollinbrook web gallery
The Heritage Walk (opposite Halfords)
The main Heritage Walk garden is on the east side of Churchill way and there is a second triangular brick wall-enclosed area opposite
There is parking on Duke St & Samuel St.
If you need any more info please contact Abercrombie on 07974 851908
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The Guild & Chamber of Trade have been given permission by the Regeneration Officer at Cheshire East Council to improve the land on Churchill Way as an amenity area and green breathing space. The work has commenced with the provision of :-
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Cheshire East have agreed to cut the grassed area and provide a seat and a rubbish bin (surplus to requirement and relocated from another area). This is a very large area to manage and re-establish as a "wood" in order to bring back wildlife and insects for biodiversity and sustainability with help from the RSPB.
Feel free to adopt - as this is for the community and well being of everyone.
Contact: Abercrombie on 07974 851908
or
Val Lloyd (Hon. Secretary)
Macclesfield Guild & Chamber of Trade
110 Park Lane,
Macclesfield
SK11 6UA 01625 511408 or 07866 384813
Email: erpsval21@hotmail.co.uk
Belong, Kennedy Avenue
Work has begun on a new project site; the Belong Care Home off Kennedy avenue.
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With the help of Macclesfield Community Garden Centre
we have constructed a kidney shaped raised bed, high enough for wheelchair users.
The garden is to be officially opened by MP David Rutley at 5pm on Thursday September 1st
Garden Share Scheme
Former mayor of Macclesfield, Norman Edwards became the first person to agree to share his garden, allowing a young couple to begin growing food in his disused vegetable plot in Tytherington. Since then we have established another six garden shares.
More about the Food4Macc Garden Share Scheme here or read another more recent Macc Express feature on Garden Sharing here .
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