Edible Garden 10th birthday celebrations
Happy 10th Birthday, FCH Edible Garden! Such a pleasure to celebrate with you today and present an award to St Paul’s Road Area Residents Association – SPRA for their long dedication to this community-University collaborative project at the University of Gloucestershire.
The Edible Garden began when English lecturer Arran Stibbe spotted a patch of disused land on the edge of the campus. Arran worked with Daud McDonald from the St Paul’s Residents’ Association, University staff and students, the local council and the police, to create a community garden that would be open to students, staff and residents, as a catalyst to help bring the university and local community together.
The Edible Garden is supported by the University’s Sustainability department each year, with small funds to promote local growing, permaculture principles and collaborative action for sustainability and wellbeing. Over the years it has gained a pond, a shed, outdoor classroom and several fruit trees, and a new pizza oven was provided and installed to mark the 10th anniversary celebration.
