The wellbeing community garden at the University of Chester chaplaincy continues to grow and flourish into it’s 3rd year. The gardening group for students runs every Thursday from 11am-3pm with a homemade lunch from the garden produce in between sessions.
It’s an opportunity to meet new people, get outdoors, learn new skills and be creative. Over the last 3 years the garden has developed from a muddy patch of land to a place of tranquillity, where food is grown and shared, friendships are formed, and everyone feels welcomed and included.
The main event that kicked off the new academic year was receiving the In Your Neighbourhood RHS community garden award that saw us rise from ‘thriving’ to ‘outstanding’. Apparently the first ever university student garden to achieve this award. We had a lovely time celebrating all the hard work and effort, in the garden with tea and cake!
We have recently purchased a hot composting bin which is rapidly filling from the garden & chaplaincy kitchen waste. We are looking forward to emptying the compost to use on the fruit and vegetables grown in the garden during the summer months, enabling us to become more sustainable, saving money and cutting down on carbon. There are plans to run a composting workshop in the spring to help students and staff understand the principles of composting and therefore the reduction of CO2 in the hope of encouraging them to waste less food and consider bringing their food waste along to be composted at the chaplaincy.
So far this year we have; moved 2 raised beds to a sunnier spot in the garden, planted several climbing clematis along the fence, planted 2 gifted apple trees which we’ve started to train to grow flat along the fence (espalier), taken part in the RSPB Great Garden Bird Watch and made bird feeders to help our feathery friends through the winter. As well as gardening the students have got stuck into some woodwork projects making a hedgehog house which will be installed on the campus by the Hedgehog Society. We plan to continue to hone the woodworking skills by building bird boxes that will be spaced around the campus giving wildlife a chance to flourish.
During the wetter months we have turned our creative energy into baking! The students had a wonderful time concocting various flavours and shapes of shortbread biscuits; we had a delicious time tasting them all!
As well as baking the students got very arty and produced beautiful mosaic tiles that reflect the themes of peace, water, tranquillity and hope that will be installed around the peace garden once the water feature is in place.
The garden continues to offer a place of peace, learning and understanding as nursing students complete a wellbeing module and psychology students trial VR headsets for those struggling to venture outside due to various mental health and medical issues.
The promise of spring then summer will offer the students more opportunity to be outside, planting, tending and harvesting as well as good food, great conversation and friendship.
It’s an opportunity to meet new people, get outdoors, learn new skills and be creative. Over the last 3 years the garden has developed from a muddy patch of land to a place of tranquillity, where food is grown and shared, friendships are formed, and everyone feels welcomed and included.
The main event that kicked off the new academic year was receiving the In Your Neighbourhood RHS community garden award that saw us rise from ‘thriving’ to ‘outstanding’. Apparently the first ever university student garden to achieve this award. We had a lovely time celebrating all the hard work and effort, in the garden with tea and cake!
We have recently purchased a hot composting bin which is rapidly filling from the garden & chaplaincy kitchen waste. We are looking forward to emptying the compost to use on the fruit and vegetables grown in the garden during the summer months, enabling us to become more sustainable, saving money and cutting down on carbon. There are plans to run a composting workshop in the spring to help students and staff understand the principles of composting and therefore the reduction of CO2 in the hope of encouraging them to waste less food and consider bringing their food waste along to be composted at the chaplaincy.
So far this year we have; moved 2 raised beds to a sunnier spot in the garden, planted several climbing clematis along the fence, planted 2 gifted apple trees which we’ve started to train to grow flat along the fence (espalier), taken part in the RSPB Great Garden Bird Watch and made bird feeders to help our feathery friends through the winter. As well as gardening the students have got stuck into some woodwork projects making a hedgehog house which will be installed on the campus by the Hedgehog Society. We plan to continue to hone the woodworking skills by building bird boxes that will be spaced around the campus giving wildlife a chance to flourish.
During the wetter months we have turned our creative energy into baking! The students had a wonderful time concocting various flavours and shapes of shortbread biscuits; we had a delicious time tasting them all!
As well as baking the students got very arty and produced beautiful mosaic tiles that reflect the themes of peace, water, tranquillity and hope that will be installed around the peace garden once the water feature is in place.
The garden continues to offer a place of peace, learning and understanding as nursing students complete a wellbeing module and psychology students trial VR headsets for those struggling to venture outside due to various mental health and medical issues.
The promise of spring then summer will offer the students more opportunity to be outside, planting, tending and harvesting as well as good food, great conversation and friendship.
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Registered Charity number: 1138834 Registered Company number: 7201450 |
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