My City’s Green Spaces

The community garden next to Wellesbourne Health Clinic in Whitehawk has been growing mainly food since Summer 2022. The clinic prescribes volunteering in the garden to improve wellbeing.

Jools took time out from preparing beds for new planting to talk about what happens at the community green space. Volunteers meet once a week—to cultivate food, to chat and to eat cake. The space provides the opportunity for a gentle check-in. School groups will be using the space once it’s up and running.

Volunteers, guided by Ranger Jess, cut back brambles and added plants to improve a section of hedgerow on the hill (to include plants that fruit—providing food for birds). The Friends of Waterhall represent the hill and valley, and have worked hard towards its care. Christine, a long-standing member, walked through Waterhall with me. She loves the area very much—having walked the hill for 50 years.

Waterhall is grazed to maintain the chalk grassland habitat. The grazers are moved periodically between grassland sites. A dead hedge surrounds the dew pond, both to protect it and to provide a habitat for the animals and birds living around the pond. Built in 1999, the pond is now home to a variety of wildlife. A heron or two often take up residence during frog-spawning season.

Waterhall used to be a Brighton & Hove City Council Golf Course. The area has now been designated as Open Access Land, so can be walked across freely. The ‘Wilding Waterhall’ project is led by Brighton & Hove City Council, working in collaboration with local groups. Wilding Waterhall is part of a bigger project called ‘Changing Chalk’—encompassing more of the South Downs.

On Benfield Hill the task was to remove dogwood and wild privet. The slope will be brush-cut and grazed later in the year. The dogwood and wild privet cuttings were bagged up and taken to one of the fire sites. The fire sites are handled carefully—the ash enriches the soil and this can encourage invasive plants. The work is hard—everyone is reminded to mind their backs and rest properly during breaks.

The piles of chalk are debris from the holes that were excavated to form bunkers for the old golf course—grass is growing over these aging relics of previous land use. A volunteer said her daughter likes to shelter from harsh weather by taking refuge in the disused bunkers during her walks across the hill.

Dave makes scythes. He says a scyther doesn’t need to bend – it’s more like the movement of a golf swing. He is part of a team that is invited to work in conservation areas.

Woodingdean Wilderness Group learned about fruit tree planting and tree care. Working in groups, they were shown what to do by Brighton Permaculture Trust—’In ten years you will have fruit, a lot of fruit’.

Two new plum trees, two new apple trees and one new mulberry tree are now stretching their roots on the chalky slope. Water will need to be brought by hand until the trees are established.

A volunteer was celebrating her eighth birthday by planting one of the trees. It was a special occasion.

The children’s community garden is in one of St Nicholas Church’s green spaces. It is tended by Ruth, one of the volunteer gardeners that care for St Nicholas’ grounds. The garden had been cared for by a teacher from one of the local schools. When the teacher left Ruth was invited to take it on. The grass had grown knee-high—Ruth cut it back and found the garden’s layout exposed beneath.

Ruth selects what to add and what to remove. She is cultivating a variety of plants, setting aside an area for mushrooms. The children and school groups can visit while she is present. A kind neighbour runs a hose from one of his taps when the garden needs watering as the garden does not have its own water supply. Ruth says the children like to water the plants.

The shelves with objects on them are known as “The Museum”—a place where objects dug up from the garden are displayed.

The foxes like to dig in the earth, and Ruth clears away the mess they leave behind.