Saturday 17 September will see an “Open Angell Town” celebration of community cohesion and activities to coincide with the opening of the new St. John’s school in Overton Road.
Rev. Rosemarie Mallet of St. John the Evangelist, the Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation (IRMO), the organic cultivation organisation Progress and Angell Delight community centre are uniting to showcase the hard work and community spirit which have made projects like the Angell Town Community Garden a great success.
From 1pm to 4pm there will be live music from youth orchestra In Harmony, “Bring and Share” picnics, garden produce and garden workshops.
The official opening of the new school will be at 3pm with the Bishop of Southwark, The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, and celebrity guests including Dame Floella Benjamin.
Activities will take place in the food and flower garden, Overton Road and at St. John’s school.
Open gardening sessions
The Angell Town Community Garden, run by IRMO in partnership with Progress, runs open gardening sessions every Friday from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.
“Residents of all ages and backgrounds from three to 80, families and single people, work together to make shared spaces beautiful for the community,” says Shonet Hockley of IRMO.
“Children find out about bugs and soil, and eat green beans and tomatoes fresh from the plant.
“A group of young men often helps with manual work such as watering and digging as they pass by, and take home produce to their families.
“Older residents come to chat and share their knowledge and experience of gardens and urban growing. The sites are spaces to share, develop trust and communicate with neighbours.
The community garden is designed to improve integration and well-being by bringing Angell Town residents of all ages together to take part in healthy outdoor activities.
The gardens are on two sites in the estate. One is a food garden from which participating gardeners harvest and take home produce every Friday.
The other site is a flower garden which was donated and planted by Chelsea Flower Show with residents and volunteers.
The day-to-day upkeep of the gardens is down to the trainees or community gardeners, who are all employed and are residents on the estate. The sustainability of the gardens rests entirely in the green fingers of local residents, say the organisers.
