https://awards.unltd.org.uk/Grant/EOI/GRW021380
Wild Food Corridors brings together different groups to create wildlife habitats and edible crops in strips along under-used land leading to wild spaces.
We need to restore our wildlife whilst dramatically reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, which means sustainable local food production on a global scale, plus massive rewilding. Forest gardening works with nature to grow crops, and is productive, sustainable and low-maintenance.
Local councils, community groups, schools, residents, landowners, conservationists and gardeners can all participate in raising public awareness and understanding whilst simultaneously developing resilient communities.
The initial Penparcau Wild Food Corridor project is a collaboration between Llwyn-yr-Eos School, Ceredigion Council, Penparcau Community Forum and Jake Rayson. The aim is to create a wild food strip on the school's land that links to the council owned Geufron woodland. The Forum’s Ecology Officer will provide both wildlife advice and another link to residents.
I have made a preparatory site visit with Paul Evans, Countryside Officer at Ceredigion Council and spoken with Andra Jones, Local Conservation Officer at Penparcau Community Forum, and Barry Evans, head teacher at Llwyn-yr-Eos School.
The feedback for the project and we’re waiting on the outcome of this funding application, with a view to start planting in the winter of 2019/20.
I’m an experienced forest gardener, designer and educator and passionately believe that sustainable living is essential for this and future generations.
I have been forest gardening for five years, on two x one acre sites in West Wales, and I’ve been designing forest gardens for clients for two years. I have good design skills, both garden design with CAD and web design with graphics and coding software. I used to teach web design at University West of England.
I currently run forest garden tours and workshops on-site in Wales, and give talks about forest gardening to local gardening clubs.
The social need that will be addressed is the disconnect between people and nature, the environment and their food.
Wild Food Corridors provide social gardening, a semi-wild space, wildlife habitat and edible crops.
Those that will benefit are generally, though not exclusively, socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged. If you are working full-time on a low income to provide for your family, it is incredibly difficult to learn the skills and find the time to grow and cook your own food.
Working with schools and community centres maximises the impact of the project, at the very least creating an awareness of the relationships between people, food and wildlife.
I keep abreast of current affairs, particularly relating to environmental issues. Climate breakdown is a very real and present threat, mass extinction is increasing dramatically and there is a crisis in public health, particularly with regard to obesity and mental health.
Many of the changes required are systemic but much can still be done by individuals and organisations on the ground.
It is well documented that being in a natural space is good for your overall wellbeing. Growing your own food, creating a beautiful space and making a home for a range of wildlife all contribute to physical and mental health. All of these outcomes can be achieved by growing and learning from a Wild Food Corridor.
A successful planting scheme is only half the story. What is equally important is engaging future guardians in the creation of wildlife habitat and the sustainable growing of edible crops, so that they are invested in the harvest and habitat.
Forest gardening is low-maintenance by design but it still requires some maintenance.
To that end there will be workshops led by experienced professionals, with the initial planting in winter, a wildlife recording workshop the following summer, and then a harvesting/foraging workshop in the autumn. I will also be running 6 half-day garden maintenance workshops over 3 years.
All of this will be with the view to setting up a volunteer-run garden maintenance scheme in association with the school PTA and the community forum.
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