Community Gardens
Community gardens are welcoming green spaces where residents can grow fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants, meet neighbours and learn new skills.
They support health and wellbeing, encourage wildlife, and help make local areas greener and more attractive.
Whether you are an experienced gardener or just starting out, community gardens offer a friendly way to get involved, spend time outdoors and contribute to a more sustainable local environment.
Down to Earth at Braintree Community Garden
Recreational ground, John Ray Street, Braintree
The garden is aimed at supporting adults with complex needs and seeks to create a nurturing and therapeutic environment where individuals dealing with mental health challenges can find support and empowerment through gardening and engaging with the community.
Growing Together – Cressing Temple Barns
The Growing Together therapeutic community gardening project provides a safe, welcoming and inclusive space for adults, improving mental health, physical health and wellbeing.
Members enjoy a range of gardening activities and can complete horticulture qualifications. Healthy Mind Hub provides a welcoming environment where people can take part in meaningful activities, build confidence, reduce isolation and connect with others.
Friends of Hoppit Mead Nature Reserve
This volunteer group works to maintain the natural beauty of the site, protect local wildlife habitats and ensure the space remains a welcoming and sustainable environment for the community to enjoy.
The volunteer group takes on a wide range of environmental tasks, with litter picking being the core activity. In addition, they carry out water and fly testing to monitor the health of the river, and support biodiversity through tree and hedge planting.
A few years ago, they were also tasked with removing Himalayan Balsam, an invasive plant species. They have since successfully cleared around 65% of it from the area, but there is always more to do and they run a ‘balsam bashing’ every year.
