St. Margaret’s: Roger

We love to hear how these sessions are benefitting you. We know that our participants are likely to feel or experience some kind of improvement, but to listen to your stories first-hand really boosts the value of our National Lottery funded Nature4Health programme.

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of talking to Roger at the Hope Community Garden. Roger is now retired, but has continued to volunteer his time for many years at various charities and organisations. Additionally, he spends a few hours a week at St. Margaret’s and helps this group continue to revive the space.

Roger has always had a great respect and interest for nature, yet he explained he notices everything, no matter how small, more.

“Even a small insect I now notice, and it’s not till you notice that you really understand how complex and intriguing nature is.”

Roger worked as a gardener for many years in the 1980s, and these skills have certainly come in handy when initially clearing the site. However, the Gardening4All sessions ran by Nina have broadened Roger’s knowledge.

“I’d garden for people, but I only know now how to plant and when to water certain crops. I have really learned a lot, and still continue to.”

Roger first joined these sessions after volunteering at a heritage open day at the church. He met Nina and Jen, the leaders of Hope Community Garden, and immediately said “yes!” to taking part in the 12-week programme.

Like all of our great participants, Roger’s time spent volunteering at St. Margaret’s has had its setbacks. Although, the Hope Community Garden group have definitely managed to make the most of what they could, even in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When things started up again, we were split into two small groups each week. And when the weather was bad and we were allowed indoors, we’d spend the sessions creating flyers and collaborating ideas for the garden. My idea was to create a peace garden.”

The peace garden Roger sought for would feature snowdrops and cherry blossom, as these symbolise hope and peace. Roger wanted to create a space where peace workers would feel appreciated, as well as a space for the local community to enjoy.

Roger’s enthusiasm is reflected onto many of our participants, and it’s refreshing to see a group of friends who are all of varying ages. With this, the groups’ cooperation and friendship have holistically improved each individual – whether it be those going into a new career, or those who are finished their working years but want to feed their passion for nature.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way: Jen’s Story

Many of our Nature4Health projects have achieved great success, however, these successes don’t come without some difficulties. During the pandemic, a lot has been on hold. This lack of control can be frustrating to say the least, yet this has given us all a chance to really appreciate our time and those we choose to spend it with.

Following a recent visit to St. Margaret’s ‘Hope Community Garden’, Jen, the co-founder of this garden, shared her great story.

Jen had always been interested in growing her own produce but needed a space to do so. Having asked her priest at St. Margaret of Antioch, Jen was given a large, overgrown, and neglected space on the church’s grounds. “To say I was disappointed at first is an understatement. It was too big and too much work” said Jen. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Jen decided to take on the challenge as she was grateful for the space, if not in doubt about its potential at first. She invited some friends of hers to help start up a community garden.

Nina, who now runs the Gardening For All sessions at this site, helped Jen set up a two-year programme thanks to the funding from the National Lottery. Soon word spread and new participants were able to join Jen and clear the site for a much-needed regeneration.

However, at this time the garden was still needing a name. Jen asked her friends and other participants to think of ideas. By chance, one day when clearing old boxes within the church, Jen found a sign that said: ‘Hope Community Garden’. As fate had it, this would now be the name of this upcoming and exciting community project.

Many other loyal participants have helped re-imagine the space. Roger, who is in his 80s, has made great friends with Jen and others at Hope Community Garden, despite their age difference. “It was Roger’s idea to plant snowdrops on the church grounds as these symbolise hope” explained Jen.

Needless to say, Jen certainly is an inspiring individual, whose hard work and resoluteness have not only helped improve one of the city’s greenspaces; but have helped to holistically improve her own and others’ lives. Jen’s story shows how small ideas can create great outcomes.

St. Margaret’s Community Garden – A Ray of Hope.

Over the last year or so, there has been extraordinary progress from one of our Nature4Health projects!

The Hope Community Garden located at St. Margaret’s Church on Princes Boulevard has dramatically come to life with the dedication and hard graft from the numerous volunteers.

The rejuvenation of this space is inspiring to say the least, and the rate of improvement is remarkable despite the many setbacks created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the ease of previous lockdowns, many volunteers used the Friday Gardening4All sessions to gain back a bit of normality.

The garden has given this group a safe place to meet others and take on a new challenge when needed most. With this, many participants have seen a great boost in both their mental and physical well-being from attending these sessions. Now we see how truly fitting the chosen name of this garden is, as it has given many members hope this last year.

The weekly sessions ran by Nina and Jen are every Friday still between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. Drop-ins are more than welcome, and the team is open to new members if you are interested and fancy a challenge! No experience is required, and all ages are encouraged.

Please email Clare.Olver@Merseyforest.org.uk or check out the Hope Community Garden’s Facebook page following this link – Hope Community Garden | Facebook for more information!

Guest Blog – Rhianna: An Introduction.

Being from a small steel town in the northeast, I have grown up surrounded by valleys and rural landscapes. My parents and both sets of grandparents have always been fond of gardening and the outdoors, so I guess my appreciation for nature sparked from them.

I love both nature and the built environment equally; I believe neither should be a detriment to the development or conservation of the other.

The first time I visited Liverpool I immediately felt at home. I loved the people and the city’s architecture, as well as the many famous inner-city parks. It is for these reasons why I chose to study urban planning and design at The University of Liverpool.

Having just finished my third year, I set out to gain some work experience in an area that interested me. With a passion and admiration for green infrastructure, sustainability, and regeneration, I am fortunate enough to help The Mersey Forest and Partners with their Nature4Health projects.

Over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of visiting three of the Liverpool-based Nature4Health groups: La Salle Kitchen Garden, St. Michael’s in-the-city, and St. Margaret’s Hope Community Garden.

These projects have taught me a great deal about the good effects nature has on us all, regardless of our backgrounds. I therefore wish to share with you more about these exciting projects based on my visits, so make sure to look out for future blogs!

We’re back!

It’s been a strange few months – and thanks to the wonderful work of Nina and friends, we’ve managed to keep going. Lots of messages of support, photos and windowsill planting. But now we’re back! Slightly different times and being aware of how we move around, and connect with each other has meant a few changes on the ground. However there’s nothing like speaking face to face (at a distance!) and getting our hands dirty to really connect with both nature and each other.

If you want to come along on a Friday we’re running two sessions: 10-12 and 12-2 and limiting each group to 6 people. It’s free to join but we’d like you to get in touch first. At least for the moment so we can manage numbers. Feel free to email clare.olver@merseyforest.org.uk.

A shout-out too for the National Lottery who have been really supportive of the work over the past few years and particularly of the changes we’re making at the moment. So from all of us, a big thank you!