> Stories and Updates

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.

You may also like…

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

Meet Our Community Gardeners: Sylva, Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden

Project Update: Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden

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> Stories and Updates

Highlights of 2023

December 20, 2023

 

As 2023 draws to a close, we are looking back on what we achieved this year in collaboration with our partners, volunteers, and the local people who participate in growing projects across Edinburgh. Here is a look at some of the highlights!

2023 was marked by the Edinburgh Growing Together project, which is delivered by Edible Estates, funded by City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) as the City’s Community Gardening Framework, and by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSP). The project aims to support community gardening on council housing land.

This is the first year we had a full team working on the project. Our Project Manager and Development Officer have been building relationships with existing garden groups and partner organisations, while starting new resident groups to both improve existing gardens, and create new ones. We were delighted to employ seven community gardeners across the city to support growers to achieve their skills and ambitions. Through this, we have been working to:

  • Increase production of locally grown fruit and veg
  • Create places and activities that bring communities together
  • Improve community wellbeing, skills, and knowledge

We delivered 591 hours of community gardening sessions across Edinburgh in 2023, supporting local communities to enjoy activities together, grow local produce, and improve wellbeing.

Launching the Lend a Hand Project

Launching a new project is always exciting as it means getting to know more local people and supporting them with their goals,  confidence and skills – and this is no different with Lend a Hand! While our Growing Youth project trains young people in joinery, construction, and horticulture, Lend a Hand aims to do so with people aged 50+ that are out of employment. This is a pilot project, which will be run by experienced workshop leaders. We are looking forward to getting stuck in and seeing how the project develops in 2024.

101 people newly engaged in community growing this year, meaning they spent more time outdoors being active, socialising, and learning new skills.

Bringing Greenspaces Back to Life and Getting People Involved

Greendykes Community Backgreen

The Greendykes garden was locked and out of use prior to 2023. Back in January, we met with a small number of residents to hear what they would like from the space, and from there held weekly community gardener sessions throughout the year to teach residents how to grow and establish the garden.  Over the months, the group grew to over ten participants and their families, each taking on a group of raised beds. The remaining planters were used to grow fruit, vegetables, flowers, and herbs communally. We also brought the adjoining community room back into use for shelter and for everyone to enjoy a cup of tea together during sessions. The growers had a great growing season, regularly sharing photos of their harvests and resulting meals on the group WhatsApp.

I would like to congratulate the fantastic garden that you all achieved. Now it is wonderful to look out the window and see so much life.

– Neighbour, Greendykes Community Backgreen

Hawkhill and Nisbett Courts Garden

This garden has 11 plots, each with tool storage, and there are several home-built greenhouses. When we first met the group, there were only four growers and the site needed tidying. Community Gardener Richard supported in clearing the site of rubbish and spreading compost. With the vacant plots clear and ready to use, we advertised them to residents.

We also ran a six-week Grow Your Own course to support new growers in food growing. We are delighted that as the year ends, all plots are now taken, and looking forward to seeing what everyone  grows next year.

Mount Lodge Green

Mount Lodge Green is in an area of council housing in Portobello. Locals approached CEC and Edible Estates with ideas to develop the disused greenspace on their street, which had been locked for a long time. They were supported to design a space with a central grass space for perennial plants, a wildlife border, and bird boxes. Community Gardener Paul worked with residents in a series of sessions to plant up the central biodiversity bed and perimeter wildflower area.

We are happy to see that after the efforts of everyone involved, the space has become a place where nature can thrive and neighbours come together to socialise and garden.

We installed 7000 litres of rainwater harvesting across growing projects, supporting gardeners to grow more fruit and veg while reducing water waste.

Supporting the Creation of New Gardens

Hutchison Neighbourhood Garden

The Hutchison Garden has been a long time in the making, so we were thrilled to see it come into being this year after lots of community engagement, planning, and scouting for the perfect site!

The community began building the garden in July, supported by Community Gardener Gaby. Happily, there has been steady numbers of participants, who made fast work of raised bed construction, path building, and edging the forest garden. Growing Youth ASLS sessions also run weekly from the site, which has been a nice way to see two projects work collaboratively.

We were delighted to have the garden featured on STV News whereby residents, who have lived there for many years, commented on how they had gotten to know their neighbours. The garden is quickly becoming a place where the community can gather and make positive change in their area.

It’s been great. There’s people that I’d never met before, I knew their faces but I’ve never actually spoken to them. Now we’re getting on fine. It makes a big difference, not passing people in the street

– David, Hutchison resident of 20+ years and garden  participant

Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden

After lots of community engagement, residents began building their garden in September, with twice weekly sessions from Community Gardener Johanna. These have been well attended so far, and have also seen lots of conversations with passers by admiring the project. Raised beds have been built, the soil is prepped for the forest garden, and winter crops have been planted – all of which sets the growers up nicely for 2024!

We have also hired new Growing Youth leaders to run sessions at the site, which will provide local school-age pupils the opportunity to learn joinery, horticulture, and landscaping skills. These pupils will assist in the building of the garden and the renovation of the garages. Looking to the future, there are ideas for youth sessions with our community gardeners, and a mural project on the vacant garage wall, with young people and local artists. Watch this space!

Broomhouse Orchard

Broomhouse Market Garden has been a huge success in recent years, and Broomhouse Community Growers Association (BCGA) were keen to expand into other greenspaces in the area. We supported them to get permission to develop an orchard, which they designed with the help of orchard expert Jon Hancox.

With funding from Scotmid Orchard and Kew Gardens Grow Wild Fund, and support from Community Gardener Faith, the group set about clearing the site of weeds and rubbish, planting heritage fruit trees, and creating a wildflower area. Compost bays and rainwater collection were provided through Community Gardening Framework & UKSP funds.

The group hopes it will provide a new venue for locals to gather, opportunities to grow, harvest and eat locally sourced fruit, and become a natural space for wildlife and insects to flourish. The before and after of the site is fantastic, and we look forward to seeing it in action in 2024.

We converted 2550 metres² land into growing spaces for local communities, and built or replaced 92 raised beds.

 

Making Plans in New Communities

Dumbiedykes

In May, we held a community meeting for residents to share their ideas about growing locally, which saw lots of enthusiasm. Community Gardener Johanna then held weekly growing sessions with residents, and worked with CEC Housing Officers to gain permission to develop and maintain growing spaces across Dumbiedykes. Happily, lots of progress has been made! Growers have now built and planted up wooden planters, and developed some small plots with edible plants and those beneficial to wildlife around the area, adding some lovely spots of colour and life to the community. It has been a positive start to the project, with plans for next year to be discussed over the winter.

Oxgangs

This year we have been exploring the idea of creating smaller growing sites across Oxgangs. We worked with Oxgangs Community Church to host meetings in their Community Hub, and see if local people were interested in getting involved in community growing. These were well attended with lots of ideas flowing. Looking to the future, the plan is to start two growing projects, and Community Gardener Stuart is now leading sessions at 3 Oxgangs Drive to develop a biodiversity border and build communal raised beds.

We are pleased with the progress made in the area this year, and are excited to keep planning with residents in 2024.

Inch Plant Nursery Partnership

Edible Estates partnered with CEC’s Inch Plant Nursery to provide 35 gardens with a variety of vegetable, herb, and fruit plug plants, grown by Janice and the team. A total of 5500 plants were ordered across growing projects! The offer was popular among first-time growers, who will hopefully experience a successful 2024 growing season as a result.

Sighthill Primary School Farm Pupils Winning Gold

School Farmers work hard across the school year to grow all sorts of fruit, vegetables, and flowers, while learning about the natural world around them, so we were pleased that pupils attending Sighthill Primary School Farm were recognised at the Royal Calendonian Horticultural Society’s Spring Show Schools Competition. With support from School Farm Leader Shona, P6 & 7 pupils planted daffodils in preparation for the event, which took place in April 2023.. They selected their best blooms for competition, and were delighted to be awarded gold by the judges!

We hope everyone has a fantastic festive period, and we look forward to continuing work with our staff, volunteers, partner organisations, and local residents in 2024. Stay safe and here’s to 2024!

You may also be interested in…

Project Update: Muirhouse Neighbourhood Garden

Project Update: Hutchison Neighbourhood Garden

Project Update: Broomhouse Orchard

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