Volunteers sought for new Shrewsbury community garden • Shrewsbury Big Town Plan

Shrewsbury BID is calling for volunteers to get involved in a new community garden taking shape in Abbey Foregate – and is particularly keen to hear from people willing to take on the role of garden leader. The community garden is one part of the transformation of the former disused plot between Hair 21 and the railway bridge into a public pocket park, and will give town centre residents the chance to get involved in gardening together. The land is owned by local businessman Martin Monahan, who is coordinating the setup of the space, working with local charitable group the Shrewsbury Men’s Shed. Work began to clear the site at the beginning of August, to ready the site for public seating and a new community garden. Communal gardening has well-documented benefits for mental wellbeing. Time spent outdoors and working with plants is associated with lower stress and improved mood, and gardening in a group setting adds a strong social benefit – bringing people together across ages and backgrounds who might not otherwise interact. A town centre community garden offers a great chance for people to connect with nature and with neighbours in a low-stress, low-pressure context. Three volunteer leaders are needed to help coordinate the space, each taking responsibility for helping to shape the garden’s set up, coordinating a small group of volunteers, supervising site access, and helping set up regular volunteering sessions once the garden is ready for planting. It’s a hands-on and rewarding opportunity for anyone with an interest and experience in gardening and community organising and is expected to take up approximately one half day a week of each leader’s time – though very passionate leaders may wish to give more time! Anyone interested in becoming a Garden Leader, or in volunteering casually once regular sessions begin, is encouraged to fill out the volunteer sign up form via Shrewsbury BID. Once Garden Leaders have been appointed, the BID will hold a workshop for the wider pool of volunteers to get together, share their ideas and contribute to the vision for the community garden and its future care. EJ Hopson-VandenBos, Engagement Lead, Shrewsbury BID, said: “A garden like this will only work if it’s genuinely run by and for the local community. We’re looking for three community Garden Leaders to help shape how it runs day to day, and we know Shrewsbury is full of passionate, community-minded people who’d be a great fit. “We’d love to hear from anyone who would like to be involved – whether that’s leading a group or just lending a hand by attending group sessions once things are up and running.” Martin Monahan, landowner, said: “As soon as we came up with this project, we knew we wanted a community garden to be a big part of it – it’s a great way to support local community wellbeing and help people grow social connections. “It’s also a great way to increase biodiversity in the area – even a relatively small gardening plot like this can provide a valuable habitat for wildlife, and we’ll be asking our gardeners to avoid pesticides and herbicides to keep things as eco-friendly as possible. I’m looking forward to seeing volunteers get stuck in and make the space their own.” Supported by a small UK Government grant, the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership will fund the cost of the initial set up. The ongoing funding model will be shaped through engagement with Garden Leaders and the wider volunteer pool. Sign up here: https://shrewsbury.typeform.com/communitygarden