The Food Forest Garden, which was established in recent years in a section of Old Witney Road play area, is getting ready for a busy and vibrant 2025, with lots of opportunities for the community to get involved.
What’s been happening?
Over the winter, our Cllr Milly Chen – who leads on this project – has gained some great new ‘allies’ to help at the site. A nearby resident and her husband – Victoria and Sam – have both offered to lend a hand in helping to care for the site.
A local gardener, David, has also kindly offered to help. He’s shared some great advice to help us develop the site and has donated fruit trees and berries, which Cllr Milly planted. We’ve also had donations from another neighbour of hazelnut plants and raspberry canes – what a generous community we have in Eynsham!
Recently, Victoria and Cllr Milly visited Eynsham Primary School to meet 23 elected student councillors, as well as the head boy and head girl, and talk about the site and the planned activities. The children helped to pot Marigold flower seeds and are getting excited about developing and enjoying the Food Forest Garden as we move towards spring.
What’s next?
On Saturday 15 March, from 2pm-4pm, there is a community session planned for all interested residents to help Cllr Milly, Victoria, Sam, David and other volunteers to do some work at the Food Forest Garden.
David will be available to guide volunteers as they help clear the site and plant new trees and bushes. We’d welcome all members of the community, including children from Eynsham Primary School and their families, to join the session and help prepare this lovely area for the spring.
Looking further ahead, there are always plans for more planting as well as creating additional compost bins, which would enable weeds to be turned into usable compost. Cllr Milly also hopes to be able to add some raised beds in which perennial herbs could be grown, in due course.
The primary school, under the guidance of Mr Williams, is also planning how they will make use of the site with the children to help them learn more about nature.
If you’d like to find out more or can offer any help, please email epc.comms@eynsham-pc.gov.uk. All are welcome to join the session on 15 March.
The group will meet at Old Witney Road play area (at the back, next to the football pitch) at 2pm and volunteers can stay as long as they want. If you have gloves, forks, spades and/or wheelbarrows, please bring them along. Also, any spare carboard or brown packaging paper that you have at home would be very useful; it can be used to keep the weeds away from our new trees.