In the autumn of 2023 EFG volunteers approached the Lord Gascoigne landlords (at the time) Mel and Andy about the possibility of developing the overgrown land at the bottom of the pub car park into a Community Garden.
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With their support and permission from the landowners Greene King, we set about clearing a way in. Four skips of rubbish, over 1,000 hours of volunteer time and exactly one year later, we held our first Wildlife Friendly Gardening event and received an award from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust!
The garden is now open to be enjoyed by local residents, accessed by a gate in the hedge at the bottom of the carpark. Volunteers work every Wednesday from 10-12, weather allowing, and some Saturdays at the same time and visitors are welcome.
During 2025 with the encouragement and ongoing support of the new team in the pub, Neil and Claire, we have hosted families and other local groups, arranged educational visits for Brownies and Rainbows and provided arts and crafts activities for adults.
During 2026 we hope to continue to build on this offer and welcome more people into this lovely space.
Here are some key activities that we have going on in the garden:
- The Dye and Ink Garden
- Nature Friendly Garden
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Composting
- Bird Feeding
Watch the short video below to find out more about our garden, what activities there are and why people volunteer regularly to come along and do work on it.
For more details follow us on facebook at: www.facebook.com/ecogarforth
Watch this space or email us at ecofriendlygarforth@gmail.com and use the subject “FAO: Community Garden”.