The Big Dig 2013 is not a televised archaeology marathon.
What it shares with its predecessor of the same name is a multitude of
opportunities for people to get their hands dirty. The Big Dig, taking place
from 16-22nd March, has a national scale but a local focus involving
people in improving community garden spaces. Here in Sheffield the volunteering
opportunities are being organised by Grow Sheffield.
This isn’t the first time Grow Sheffield has been involved
in encouraging volunteering. In fact it’s probably fair to say that without volunteers
there would be no Grow Sheffield. The organisation was started just 6 years ago to ‘to connect people to each other, to their environment and the seasons
using food and food growing.’ The most straightforward way they’ve done that is
through the abundance project.
It’s a simple idea.
Around Sheffield there are fruit trees full of fruit that would not otherwise
be picked. Volunteers harvest fruit gluts and then distribute it to the communities
it is grown in on a not for profit basis. Nothing is wasted with surpluses
being used to make chutneys. If you’ve always relied on the supermarket for
your chutneys you can even learn how to make them yourself.
A natural
progression from abundance has been the community growers project. Community
growers are gardening gurus who provide the expertise and the encouragement for
people to try their hand at growing their own food. The project recognises that
many people living in cities do not have their own garden. And despite a healthy
interest in allotments there hasn’t been a growth in allotment sites. Instead
of bemoaning the lack of allotments community growers help people seek out
solutions. This might mean growing in pots and on windowsills or utilising what
otherwise would be abandoned patches of land.
Each community
grower concentrates on one local area in Sheffield. There are currently 8
ongoing with a plan to add 4 more this year. The idea isn’t that Grow Sheffield
will seek perpetual funding to keep these projects going. The aim – that runs
through all their work – is sustainability. In this instance that means
equipping communities with the knowledge and skills to establish and sustain
the activities themselves. It is a model that ensures local people are at the
heart of each project and it is the participants that shape each project and
determine what is grown and whether it will succeed.
Last year Grow
Sheffield organised events for people to see what these projects were like.
This year, as part of the big dig they’re going a step further and asking
people to take part. Tom Sutton, who is coordinating the big dig in Sheffield,
feels that by taking part people will get a better idea of a project’s benefits
than they would by looking around. Anyone who gets involved will be part of a
project with activities around the country taking in Taunton, Ipswich,
Blackpool, Coventry and many others beside our very own Sheffield.
If you want to get
involved what can you expect? Around the city several projects have already
signed up. At Lowes Garden on Abbeydale Road you could end up clearing the
garden, pruning trees or planting fruit bushes. Hillside Harvest community allotment
in the Rivelin Valley is teaming up with Grow Sheffield for an open day that includes
workshops on planning allotments. Volunteers are also needed to help build a
path and bridge that will improve access to the allotments. The last word goes
to volunteer Chaitrali Dhamne, "Grow Sheffield is providing wonderful
events, memorable days and unique opportunities to volunteer across the city,
in a very well organised manner! It was my first experience of volunteering and
I wasn't sure what to expect, but I would definitely get involved again!"
The easiest way to
get involved in any of these projects – and more besides – is to go to www.bigdig.org.uk and find Sheffield on the interactive map.
Or you can enter your postcode and the site will find the projects nearest to
you. And it’s not too late to get involved if you have a gardening project that
you need volunteers for contact volunteering@growsheffield.com.
Go on, give it a grow this March.
This is taken from an article I wrote for now then magazine, Sheffield
