From Rubbish Tip to Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Garden

" We are very lucky to live out here on the edge of Bristol surrounded by beautiful green spaces, so let’s do our best to protect those green spaces. "

At the Red Lion Community Garden in Paulton, a group of passionate volunteers are creating an area of green space where there was once a rubbish tip.

The project was supported by Avon Wildlife Trust. After having many conversations with the community, the Trust invited residents of Paulton to the Red Lion Pub to solidify their ideas for a wildlife project in their village.

Residents shared their ideas for a community led wildlife project in their village and together they prioritised the idea to create a community garden behind the pub. A date was chosen and the first event was publicised locally. It became clear that other people in the area were interested in connecting with people and making the village a little bit greener.

One volunteer noted that there was interest around the village but a project like this had struggled to get off the ground. “It is really encouraging that so many people have turned up,” she said. “This is an opportunity to galvanise all that interest in one single project.”

Another local resident said the project has helped bring people together at a time when the community spirit in the village was beginning to wane.

“As the village grows, it is difficult for people to still have that sense of community,” he said. “I mean, a lot of these people I’ve never met before and I’ve been living in the village for 10 years. I’ve already met five of six people I really like.”

The project has received additional support from the Bath & North East Somerset (BANES) Council. On the day of the debut event, BANES Councillor for Paulton, Liz Hardman attended to see the project in action.

“It’s not just about growing vegetables, but it’s creating an area for wildlife as well,” she said.

The community garden at The Red Lion is just the start of a wider mission to create more spaces for growing food and supporting wildlife in and around the village. It will be used as a demonstration space for wildlife friendly actions. The first of which will be a pond workshop. Residents are invited to come along and help build a pond, learning how to make one in their own garden at the same time.

Avon Wildlife Trust’s Team Wilder ecologist visited the garden and other places in Paulton and after listening to residents’ needs created a report for the groups to follow. The report recommended creating a composting area as well as an edible hedge, both of which have already been completed by the eager group who meet every two weeks.

You can watch a short video about the project here.