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A relaunch in 2019 has worked out well for Edible Guernsey. Express caught up with its Vice-President to find out more.
The charity originally launched in 2014 but stumbled with a lack of funding. After a restructure, it launched again in 2019 with a mission statement to ‘grow a better future’.
Edible's vinery site is on Rue des Heches in Torteval and its greenhouses have dozens of allotments for the community to use.
“We’ve set up quite a lot of member beds now,” said Sarah Breton.
“People can sign up, help out in the community garden, have their own patch and grow their own stuff and experiment with that.”
Ms Breton said the “aim of the organisation is mainly for community growing, for general wellbeing, mental and physical health and producing foods for ourselves and others".
Pictured: Edible Guernsey held a successful seed swap last year.
The site also has a fruit forest, accessible bays - made from the old Beau Sejour flumes - and a hedge veg stall which could soon become a hedge veg shed. Planning permission has recently been submitted to build a small shed-come-shop.
It hosts a number of growing bays and offers education community gardening with mentoring sessions.
“People from community service have taken on their own bay after helping with labour after coming up for four years and helping us clear,” said Ms Breton.
“We’ve got Elizabeth College, who have been with us more than a year. They come up after school on a Friday and they have raised beds that they maintain and plant different things in. There have been two corporate social responsibility events as well.
“We had Hautes Capelles School up - 60 little ones. They were in batches of 20, some having a site tour, some watering around the community gardens, and some were sowing seeds and colouring.”
Pictured: There are two community growing areas in the Edible greenhouses.
You don’t have to be a member to use the space. Volunteers are always welcome to offer a hand and start growing.
There is an opportunity to find out more this weekend as Edible’s Spring Seed swap is taking place on Sunday (6 March).
“It’s for anybody who would like to come along with their seeds they’d like to swap.
“It’s a social event and people can come and see what we’ve been up to.”
The event will run from 14:00 to 16:00 and anyone is welcome to join.
Butterfield supports educational accessibility for Edible Guernsey
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