> Stories and Updates

Community Gardens As Creative Spaces: Hutchison Craft Day

June 6, 2025

 

Community gardens can serve as wonderful spaces for families, neighbours, and local groups to gather and participate in a whole range of activities – it’s not all about having a plot or growing bed!

Arts and creativity in particular are a huge part of Edinburgh’s culture – just look at our film, book, and Fringe festivals. Community gardens can play a role in fostering creativity across the city by:

  • bringing people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds together to express their creativity and engage with the natural world in free, accessible outdoor spaces
  • collaborating with local artists, creative groups, and arts organisations to deliver fun and educational workshops inspired by the natural materials around us
  • providing families with free, engaging arts activities that spark children’s creativity – particularly during school holidays when there’s added pressure and cost to entertain the kids

Bookbug sessions, mural painting, nature-based crafts – the opportunities for creative fun are endless.

Hutchison Neighbourhood Garden recently hosted a free, nature-based family craft day in collaboration with local artist Claudia, which saw a great turnout, let local children’s creativity shine, and served as the perfect setting for a homemade, shared community meal.

Community Gardener Gaby and artist Claudia were delighted by a great turnout for the event, and kicked off the morning with two workshops for children aged 3-7. They decorated cardboard cut-out hedgehogs with leaves, sticks, and stones they found around the garden, before decorating fox masks with pens. Combining foraging and exploring the garden with fun, creative activities is a fantastic way for children to foster an awareness of, and enjoy what the natural world has to offer.

The garden recently installed a kettle and stove, making it the perfect spot for a cup of coffee and some homemade soup courtesy of Gaby, who catered to everyone by making a gluten-free chicken, pea, and mixed vegetable soup, as well as a lentil, barley, and mixed vegetable soup – both gluten-free, vegan, and especially delicious after a busy morning of crafting!

For the older children and adults, the afternoon was spent creating wall-hangings using more natural materials such as pinecones, and decorating glass jars with pressed leaves and PVA glue to serve as nature-inspired tealight holders – bringing the outdoors into the home as a memorable keepsake of a fun afternoon.

If you’re interested in learning how you can use your local community garden as an outdoor meeting or activity space, find your nearest garden and relevant contact info here, or contact our Community Garden Development Officers who will be happy to help point you in the right direction:

eleanor@edibleestates.scot

stephanie@edibleestates.scot

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Talking All Things ‘The Right To Grow’: Interview With Councillor Hal Osler

May 1, 2025

 

We spoke with Councillor Hal Osler about ‘the right to grow’ for Edinburgh’s citizens, what this means, and how access to HRA land for communal growing benefits individuals, communities, and the city as a whole. Edinburgh councillors passed a motion on the ‘right to grow,’ tabled by Hal, in 2023, and have been exploring and developing next steps and initiatives since.

For you, what is the ‘right to grow’, and if realised, what could this look like in Edinburgh? 

For me, the right to grow is the chance to simplify how individuals can reconnect with and use spare, disused land. From a planning point of view, I mean land that previously had a function, but doesn’t have a class usage currently. We can’t afford to have land that’s not productive, if it’s not given a positive function it will attract negative functions such as fly tipping.

From a person-centred point of view, it’s fundamental that individuals can sustain themselves, we need to reconnect with food as individuals, it’s something I’m deeply concerned with. If you’re only experience of food is supermarket food and ready-made meals, it desensitises you to food’s other functions – community, sharing – in other parts of Europe you see food festivals, you see community olive picking, I’m interested in how we can bring food back to community here.

What prompted/inspired your interest in the issue, and desire to table the motion?

I grew up in the country, in an environment where we ate what we producer, what was fresh in the garden. Our land’s use was to grow produce. In the summer months there was sometimes so much we didn’t know what to do with it all – and that’s the positive thing about community growing, there are many people to share with so there isn’t that waste from over-abundance.

What benefits do you believe the ‘right to grow’ can bring on an individual, community, and city-wide level? 

It’s huge for physical and mental health. Gardening is about nurturing, it stimulates the brain, and lets you destress. It establishes community focus; it gives individuals pride and something to be attached to – there’s nothing like the joy planting a tiny seed and watching it tiny bear fruit. It teaches people patience; it moves us away from the instant gratification of fast food and towards feeling connected to our food. It gives us the chance to sit together and enjoy meals, rather than shoving it down. It should be about getting a sense of achievement from what we’ve grown and then prepping, savouring, and enjoying it.

On a city-level, it’s huge because Edinburgh is a small city with a lot of pressure on it. We have an aspiration to be a million-tree city, and the right to grow food plays into that by aiding in biodiversity and flood prevention – grass alone doesn’t do very much.  All our greenspaces should be connected by biodiversity corridors, which encourage pollinators – birds and insects – and in turn lets us grow more. It’s about nature restoration and giving individuals and communities a stake in it is the easiest way to do this.

In what ways do you think the Council and third-sector food growing initiatives can work together to facilitate growing across the city? 

Working together is essential. Edinburgh Council is a good provider and facilitator of services, but we need that connection with the third sector – in a lot of communities they are more trusted and experienced, they’re more embedded and therefore have more understanding of each communities’ needs. People are put off by lecturing and public health jargon, nobody wants to be lectured, and the third sector are able to put things across to their communities in a way that resonates.

Why do you believe it is important for individuals to be more connected with their food and understand where their food comes from? 

It’s important on a variety of fronts. For the simple aspect of health, it’s learning how to nourish ourselves with fresh food, but more than that, everybody understands the joy of seeing the bright colours of natural food. It lets us explore different textures, what foods taste and feel like when they’re raw versus cooked, all of which makes people feel more comfortable and connected with their food – and starting this off with children is especially important, it’s pictorial for them, they can see it, let them explore their taste buds, give them more time to experiment.

I visited Broomhouse Growers and it was a joy to see everyone tasting the artichokes they’d grown – some were trying it for the first time. I got to take some away with me and make artichoke soup at home, which was delicious!

Gardens are just a different space, you hear people say they didn’t know a variety of vegetable would look that way and they want to know the differences, or that you could eat the leaves, fruits and roots of a particular plant, or they’ll be surprised they liked something. Growing encourages curiosity and gives people knowledge.

Growing food communally also allows immigrants to bring a touch of home to their neighbourhood and share the foods they’ve grown up with, creating a better sense of belonging. We also gain something new from that, we get to be curious and expand our knowledge of food, communities can be brought together through sharing food.

What do you think the next steps are in moving towards the right to grow? 

The Council are launching a ‘Grow Your Own’ grant initiative, it’s a pilot scheme where community groups can apply for up to £5,000 to set up new growing projects. We’re also a supporting partner of Edinburgh Living Landscapes, and as part of work with that we should end up with a road map for insects and pollinators. Grass cutting paper, look at biodiversity.

Next steps are no simple thing, it’s about looking at better ways to manage and develop HRA land – looking for alternative ways it can be used rather than limiting access to it. As a Council we can develop an idea and allow individuals to explore it, but a lot of it is about changing attitudes and education, trying to convince everyone this is something we all we all want to be part of, that we can turn a corner by making small changes in our communities that fundamentally make big changes. We need to change how we view our land too – greenspaces are not supposed to be arid deserts, a wild meadow has purpose, Becoming a million tree city benefits everyone, it provides a positive natural environment, and it helps with flood prevention

Growing is such a simple joy. You have this relationship with something that’s living and growing, that will hopefully outlast you. It sustains and brings joy to others, people and wildlife alike.

We have to provide people living in an urban environment with an alternative to over-consumption, it’s about encouraging everyone to slow down and consider the cost of that consumption to themselves and what’s around them.

Do you think there is a lot of interest among the city’s residents to grow their own food/have the right to grow? 

Yes, I do, I believe people want to grow. People are passionate, I’ve talked to different people across the city about what they’ve done and what they’ve not been able to do in terms of growing. I mean look at lockdown, people who had the ability and opportunity to grow did just that, and that’s great for individuals with gardens, but not everyone has access to land – community growing allows for that. It also makes it less terrifying; everyone fears getting something wrong when they start out, growing communally encourages positivity and opens a conversation about what you would like to grow, rather than focusing on what you can’t do.

Community gardens also serve as safe third places that bring together like-minded individuals. In a busy and chaotic life, you need that space with other people. We live in a very divided world, and we need to support people that want to come together to brainstorm and be proactive about improving their environment. Most importantly we need to support it in a way that’s sustainable, so it’s not just a flash in the pan.

Do you see the right to grow as a key player in making Scotland a Good Food Nation

It’s one of the many parts, but personally speaking I think it extends wider than that, its benefits go beyond food too – it’s also a key part of improving communities, reducing issues like anti-social behaviour. I want to end on something key – it has to start from the bottom up, how do we relieve the overwhelming burden of getting started from individuals and just let them grow.

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Dumbiedykes Growers: New Garden Site Transformed For The 2025 Growing Season

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Dumbiedykes Growers: New Garden Site Transformed For The 2025 Growing Season

March 30, 2025

 

Throughout the autumn and winter months, Dumbiedykes Growers have worked incredibly hard to create a new garden for locals to use in a central and quiet neighbourhood spot, and with support from Community Gardener Johanna, they’ve made an amazing transformation!

New Site: Before

New Site: After

So far, they’ve planted up their border with currant bushes, herbs, fennel, some bee friendly ornamental flowers like rudbeckias and sunflowers, and have been working on their perimeter mixed bed of edibles.

Looking to the near future, there are lots of ideas – one resident from Hong Kong is keen to try growing choi sum and mooli, while others are interested in planting white turnips – a growing season of trying new things awaits!

Raised Bed: Before

Raised Bed: After

The group particularly enjoyed building the raised growing beds due to the teamwork it involved –  with everyone getting stuck in measuring, sawing, and drilling. Whip dust was used to establish a very professional looking pathway, and they also DIY’ed a cold frame, which is currently home to some early broad beans. Many brought their own tools and got innovative with other fantastic additions, such as a bench that doubles up as storage, and some small seats for people to rest on or simply enjoy the space.

Grassy Area: Before

Grassy Area: After

The final result is a small garden that’s been thoughtfully designed and created by local people, for local people. It’s a reflection of their skills and commitment to making a positive difference in their community by taking ownership of their local green spaces, and a testament to how much you can do with the materials you have.

The group are hopeful to have the garden looking as colourful and abundant as possible over the next few months, with the goal of benefitting local residents, pollinators, and wildlife alike. By brightening up and making productive use of a previously disused area, as well building and providing free, accessible beds for residents to grow fresh produce, they’ve made an outstanding effort to benefit and make a positive change in their community both now and in the future.

Dumbiedykes Growers are a welcoming bunch that are keen to get other local people involved – whether you’d like to be a regular weekly grower, dip in and out if and when you have time, or just stop by for a chat and cuppa! They meet at the fruit trees on Viewcraig Street on Sunday afternoons if you’d like to see what the group are up to. For more info click here.

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Looking Back at 2024: Greendykes Allotment Clear-up

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Looking Back at 2024: New Growing Project in Pilton

November 25, 2024

 

In the latter half of the year, we were approached by some Pilton residents who were interested in making use of an unloved grassy area on Crewe Road and set about carrying out a consultation and drawing up plans on how best to support their aims.

Since then, Community Gardener Sylva has been working with four residents to transform some unused greenspace on Crewe Road in Pilton – two adults and two wee ones, great to see some kids using those green thumbs!

They’re a small but mighty team that have made fantastic progress in building and filling four raised beds so far, with hopes to mow and strim the weeds to create more space for ball games soon. They’d also like to build a tool store and picnic benches for the community to use.

If you live locally and would like to get involved, get in touch with Sylva – sylva@edibleestates.scot

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Looking Back at 2024: Greendykes Allotment Clear-up

 

Members of the Greendykes community were keen to do some allotment clean-up days this year, and come rain or shine, worked hard over several weeks to make several spaces look so much tidier with support from Community Grower Jen.

The time spent working together to do something positive in the community sparked interesting conversations about the challenges they face in communicating as a group and accessing funding. They now have plans to elect a new committee with the aim of addressing these issues – proactive and hopeful stuff showing a real enthusiasm for what they’re doing!

Here’s a rundown of what they got up to:

Week 1: They braved heavy rain to clear wood and junk from the shared seating space, dead end paths, and unkempt plots.

Week 2: Focus turned to clearing  weed seed beside the polytunnel to stop it getting inside when it’s opened. They also moved the bulk of some huge, out of control willows from one plot, which the group really enjoyed.

Weeks 3 & 4: A very busy couple of weeks with some sunshine! The group cleared large tree sections from outside the fence, tidied the entrance paths, and dealt with junk in a few more dead ends. Following that, they moved the location of some fencing and gates to prevent this happening in the future and increase allotment space – more room for fruit, veggies, and flowers! One member also repainted many of the fences to get them looking tip top, while others worked to identify what wood could be stored for future use.

All in all, an extremely productive few weeks, with the group completely clearing the previously abandoned allotments.

Fantastic to see such a lovely group of folk coming together and dedicating their time to maintain the area’s growing spaces. Looking to the future, they have plans to install additional compost bins plus rebuild their existing ones, and are looking forward to having a shelter and improved polytunnel courtesy of the Growing Youth team.

If you live in the area and would like to get involved contact: pippa@edibleestates.scot / 07549431528

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Looking Back at 2024: Dumbiedykes Growers’ Wildflower Patch

 

Dumbiedykes Growers, like Oxgangs Growers, community grow across various different sites in their area, brightening up spaces for all residents! This year they undertook a wildflower project and set about planting up the grassy area by their fruit trees on Viewcraig Street.

 

The flowers came into abundant, beautiful bloom in the summer months, tended all the while by the dedicated growers. They became a haven for pollinators and the subject of many a passer-by’s photograph, with several people commenting on the way the sea of colour brightened up the neighbourhood. The wildflower patch was also a stop for Out and About’s Bauks View nature and wellbeing group back in May, during a stroll around the neighbourhood – a great example of how local community groups can benefit one another!

To encourage neighbours to get involved, the group created ‘Sam,’ and asked locals to paint colourful rocks and pop them among the wildflowers – fantastic to see the community engaging with their greenspaces in creative ways.

It was lovely to see the growers proud as punch of the project, and we can’t wait to see the area bloom year after year.

The group meet at this spot on Viewcraig Street every Sunday from 1-3pm with Community Gardener Johanna, and they welcome anybody to drop by for a chat, whether or not you want to get involved is up to you!

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Looking Back at 2024: Before & After Transformation in Oxgangs

November 23, 2024

 

Oxgangs Growers are a fantastic group of community-minded folk who have made it their mission to restore a sense of pride in their local area by making communal greenspace areas more welcoming for residents – and this year they did just that with some inspiring work!

With support from Community Gardener Stuart, they set about clearing an unloved, overgrown plot next to The Chip Inn on Oxgangs Rd North. Throughout several months of Saturday gardening sessions (10 – 1pm,) they worked hard to remove rubbish, weed the area, and plant it up with biodiversity friendly plants and sensory area. The space is now a bright spot in Oxgangs, and has become a relaxing communal space that’s been well received by local folk, with plans to install benches so local people can meet while waiting for the bus.

Residents of residents of 3 Oxgangs Drive also created a biodiversity border brimming with plants that attract a wide range of creatures and brighten up the area, and built several wooden raised beds to grow fruit and veg (with help from Crumble the dog!)

The welcoming group meet and communicate regularly through gardening sessions, and have forged friendships along the way, often enjoying a bring and share meal together after sessions in the being in the Oxgangs Community Church Hub.

We wanted to acknowledge their dedication at our Harvest Celebration, and presented the group with a Golden Trowel Award to celebrate their successes!

Looking to 2025, they have set up Oxgangs North Tenants and Residents Association to tackle wider issues in the area, and will be getting together to plan their growing activities for next year’s growing season over the winter months. If you’d like to get involved, contact pippa@edibleestates.scot.

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Looking Back at 2024: Hutchison Summer Fete

 

On Saturday 3rd August, the sun shone for Hutchison’s first annual summer fete, a joyful afternoon celebrating one year of growing at the Neighbourhood Garden (July 2023.)

Preparations began after the usual weekly Saturday work session (9:30am – 12:30pm,) with everyone mucking in to hang bunting, assemble the gazebo, and get the BBQ fired up for what was a great turnout, which included some furry friends.

There was a bring and share picnic – and what a feast it was, everyone went above and beyond! With 13 different nationalities participating in the garden, there was a delicious array of delicacies: homemade biryani, salads, samosas, and pickled beetroot (grown in the garden of course.) Alongside this, our participant chef, Aron, cooked up a feast including BBQed octopus – it’s safe to say everyone was well fed. It was lovely to see everyone chatting amongst themselves and getting to know one another while they ate.

After recovering from our food comas, it was time for activities. Susie ran a Bookbugs session with stories and singing for the wee ones, who also really enjoyed getting creative in the craft tent. Meanwhile the adults were tested on their horticultural knowledge in a garden quiz organised by Gulnaz organised a garden quiz – everyone was delighted to win a prize!

There are plans for many more seasonal events at the garden in the future, and the group welcome any ideas – the garden can be a space for a whole host of activities after all! If you want to get involved come along to sessions on Thursdays & Saturdays 9:30 – 12:30 or contact Community Gardener Gaby on gaby@edibleestates.scot

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Harvest Celebration 2024

October 25, 2024

 

Photography by Colin Hattersley

Growing Together – it’s in the name! While we support council estate residents to start community growing projects with their neighbours or get involved in those that already exist in their local community, each individual growing project is also part of something bigger. They make up a web of gardens across Edinburgh, connected by shared goals among the like-minded folk that make them thrive – to build community, grow food together, and do something positive for themselves and others.

So, what better way to bring those folk together than with our first ever Harvest Celebration – good food, fun, and lots of rich discussion about community food growing made for a fantastic evening in September.

We kicked off the event with a tour of Sunshine on Leith Community Garden (SOL,) courtesy of participant Moyra. SOL is a tenemental backgreen with a vibrant group of growers that have worked together to create a beautiful garden in and for the community, which made it the perfect place for our guests to get inspired, by seeing first-hand what is possible for their own growing spaces.

Drill Hall hosted us for the rest of the evening, which, after welcoming the great turnout of gardeners and organisations, began with a Challenges of Community Growing Workshop. After discussing the challenges faced by growing projects in the city, each group was tasked with picking a challenge and brainstorming solutions. It was fantastic to see a cross-section of gardens and organisations exchange lots of creative ideas – some new, and others drawn from the wealth of knowledge and experience in the room.

‘Highlight: Meeting so many enthusiastic folk and the positive impact on mental health.’ – Guest feedback

We were also grateful to be joined by community councillor Katrina Faccenda, who gave us an informative and thought-provoking speech about the ‘right to grow’ for communities in Edinburgh, and how Edinburgh Council can facilitate that – a great reminder to contact your local councillor to express your desire for more community growing opportunities in your area.

Following this – it was time to enjoy some delicious food together courtesy of Out of the Blue Café (OOTB,) featuring produce donated by some of the fantastic gardens. Freshly pressed apple juice was also on the menu thanks to those donations, which was such a treat!

Diving into workshop number two, Future Greenspace, everyone discussed what opportunities they saw for more community gardening and greenspaces in their communities – a conversation that was brimming with ideas and will continue long after the event. The gardeners’ enthusiasm and care for their growing projects and communities was palpable here, and it was a real joy to witness their hopes for the future.

‘Loved exchanging ideas with other gardens, lovely film and delicious food.’ – Guest feedback

Our workshop portion ended with First Steps, where we had some great suggestions about how we can start to drive more action and change for community growing and greenspaces using the resources and knowledge available to us.

Edible Estates Growing Together 24 Event, Thur 26/09/2024:
Photography from: Colin Hattersley Photography – cphattersley@gmail.com – (+44) 7974 957 388 – www.colinhattersley.com

To round off a great evening, we wanted to celebrate the achievements of the gardens, beginning with the premiere of a film put together by Glenda Rome showcasing the amazing things taking place in community growing projects across the city – there was a real sense of pride in the room while watching!

‘So inspiring seeing what is happening in other community gardens. Exciting to think of the possibilities!’ – Guest feedback

Then, from creating a community orchard, securing funding, or making a garden more accessible, to beekeeping sessions, new compost bays, and a spectacular wildlife pond – every garden received a certificate and a Golden Trowel to mark all their fantastic efforts. Keep your eyes peeled for a full list and photos of the winners on our Facebook and Instagram.

With that, the celebrations ended, leaving us all with lots of ideas, inspiration, and things to consider moving forward. Feedback from our guests suggested this relaxed forum was a great way to bring community gardeners and local organisations together to support one another through the exchange of knowledge and resources, with suggestions for improvements to future events taken on board. As the year draws to a close and we begin to reflect and plan for 2025, we’re looking forward to highlighting and exploring the themes, challenges, and solutions discussed in the event’s presentations and workshops on our blog over the coming weeks. Here’s to many more events like this in the future!

‘It was super inspiring to have so many community minded folk in the same room! The evening showed the power of celebrating together and sharing learning. Here’s to much more of that!’ – Pippa Lobban, Garden Development Officer

A massive thank you to OOTB for the delicious community meal, Moyra and SOL for the garden tour, and of course to all of the gardeners and organisations who came along and made for such a positive, engaging evening.

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Our Muirhouse Mural Project is Complete!

Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden: Community Gardens Are About More Than Growing Food!

 

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Our Muirhouse Mural Project is Complete!

October 8, 2024

 

(All credit and a huge thank you to Julie Howden for the fantastic photos. Images courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland.)

It’s been an exciting year in Muirhouse, with the building and opening of its very own Neighbourhood Garden. We’ve been delivering growing workshops to the community since September 2023, which included building growing beds for local people to adopt, and we’re delighted to now have twelve households tending to their own plots. By building neighbourhood gardens like this one on council estates, we aim to create safe, colourful, and inviting spaces where locals can come together as a community to enjoy activities alongside growing and sharing food. This summer, we had the perfect opportunity to collaborate with other local organisations and young people to create something joyful in and for the space – and the result is fantastic!

The Project

While building the garden, we noted a dirty and graffitied wall in need of some TLC on the adjacent disused garages that were being renovated – a blank canvas if you will!

We chatted with Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) who highlighted that a lot of the young people they work with are creative, and so a mural project seemed a great way to engage and support young people, their families, and the wider Muirhouse community to make the garden space their own and build their connection with it for years to come.

To curate lots of ideas and bring the project to life, we needed an artist. Gillian Cullen (MYDG) got in touch with Holly Yeoman at National Galleries of Scotland (NGS). Holly is the Community Development Coordinator for The NGS Art Works project, and put us in touch with mural artist Natasha Russell. We also offered, via Volunteer Edinburgh, the opportunity for a corporate group to help us prepare the wall.

The stage was set, and so the project began!

The Painting Process

In July, volunteers from Black Circles spent a lovely sunny day scrubbing, wire brushing, and painting the wall in preparation for the mural, which gave the staff an opportunity to get out of the office into the fresh air, spend time with one another, and support a community project.

Throughout August the MYDG, NGS, and Natasha worked on designing and painting the mural, with lots of gardening skills such as seed planting learned along the way, blending creativity with outdoor education.

‘During the mural workshops, the opportunity for the group to work on creative painting work whilst spending time in the garden felt really valuable and it was lovely to see people splitting their time between watering, potato picking, vegetable tasting, and painting their designs.’

  • Natasha Russell, Lead Artist

The bright colours and interesting shapes of flowers and produce in the Muirhouse garden were the focus of the design, which allowed for lots of exploring. The young people also visited the Botanical Gardens, walked around the neighbourhood, and looked through the NGS’ collection of horticultural artworks for inspiration. Natasha then led several workshops with the young people to come up with the designs, which were cut out and arranged into a collage to make up the final composition.

Natasha also attended community gardening sessions to chat to participants about what they would like included in the mural. Shapes such as the allium flower buds are results of these conversations, which were a great way to involve participants in the project.

‘I loved working with the young people, staff, and wider community to gather ideas, design, and paint this mural together. It’s been great to see how the young people have taken inspiration from the garden’s plants.’

  • Natasha, Lead Artist

It was wonderful to see the young people spend time getting creative and curious in a natural outdoor space, working together, and developing their confidence throughout the process.

The Mural Unveiling

We welcomed residents, lead artist Natasha, local organisations and MYDG’s budding young artists to an open day in the garden on Monday 16th September, and were blessed with some final rays of summer sunshine over an afternoon of tea, cake, and activities – including fantastic botanical art workshops from artists Seamus Killick and Alexa Hare of NGS.

‘It’s been fantastic to work alongside the local young people and wider community on this project. My hope is that the participants have built a long-lasting connection with the garden and continue to make the space their own. The project has shown that community gardens are not just for horticulture but can be spaces for all kinds of activities – arts, relaxation, exercise, whatever you want it to be!’

  • Pippa Lobban, GT Community Garden Development Officer

We were delighted that so many people came together to celebrate the young people’s achievement, a few of whom took part in the mural ribbon cutting ceremony. Each were given a certificate for their amazing contributions to the project, with certificates also awarded to the Lend A Hand team for their hard work renovating the garages themselves. It was a fantastic afternoon and a wonderful way to round off the project!

 

The Final Result

The final mural is vibrant and joyful – a reflection of and credit to the wonderful young people that created it, as well as the Muirhouse community. It’s become a real focal point in the area, with gardeners and local passers-by commenting that it has brightened up the space, and made the garden feel more lived in. It can also be spotted from a nearby roundabout, which has sparked local curiosity and encouraged people to wander up the path to see what is happening – more footfall in and around the garden is always positive!

‘The mural is great, it really brightens up a blank space.  The gardeners love it, it’s made them feel like the garden is part of something bigger and it’s great to see several of the local kids popping in to show their painting skills off to their friends.’

Sylva Atkins, GT Community Gardener at Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden

We hope that the young people’s time in the garden throughout the summer has grown their understanding of and appreciation for the space, and encouraged them to use and care for it alongside their family, friends, and neighbours as they grow older, fostering community spirit along the way.

A massive thank you and well done to everyone involved, and here’s to many more creative community garden projects in the future!

A new mural at Muirhouse Community Garden organised by the National Galleries of Scotland was unveiled by some children who worked on it with artist Natasha.

Muirhouse growing sessions run Wednesdays 9:30am-12:30pm, and Sundays 1-4pm, our map will help you find us! Pop in to see the mural for yourself, have a wander around the garden and chat to the lovely group – a cup of tea and a biscuit are always on offer, and Sylva will be happy to chat to you if you’d like to get involved with growing.

MYDG provides opportunities for local young people that foster a positive view of their own future and their impact on the world around them.

National Galleries of Scotland brings together a world class collection of artworks across the National, Modern, and Portrait galleries in Edinburgh.

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