Blenheim Garden Estate

At the end of March Morrison negotiated a supply of scaffolding boards from Norwood Scaffolding to help a new children’s play project on the Blenheim Gardens estate in Brixton. The play project is run by council tenants from Renton Close Estate’s Community Centre Management Board (RCCCMB). Last year RCCCMB were awarded a grant from Lambeth’s Big Lottery Play Fund to set up three children’s organic gardening projects in the Brixton Hill area over a period of three years.

The first garden was set up on Renton Close in 2009 and is doing well. This year the project moved on to Blenheim Gardens estate where the resident management board (BGRMO) identified a large area of bare land in the middle of the estate for the new garden site.

A lot of work has been put in by local residents, young people from Clapham Youth Centre, and of course children living on Blenheim Gardens to transform this area into a garden. Raised beds have been built and some plants are beginning to grow. Lots of seeds have been sewn and every Saturday children, lead by Simon Ghartey an experienced gardener, and helped by play workers from RCCCMB work hard to transform the space.

Local children and young people are learning about growing food and flowers the organic way. They are also helping to transform a patch of land in the middle of their estate. Older residents some of whom were a bit sceptical at first, can now see their young neighbours creating a new garden for everyone living on the estate to enjoy now and in the future.

Blenheim Garden Estate are grateful for the support given by Morrison and Norwood Scaffolding to this project and stated, ‘ As well as supplying lots of used scaffolding planks, they have donated a great deal of useful green netting which we will use to protect the tender plants growing in our new raised beds.’