Community Gardening at Cally Park

We’re re-starting Community Gardening Sessions!

After a long pause due to Covid 19, we’re pleased to announce that community gardening sessions are re-starting at Cally Park. These start on 14 May 2021 and will take place monthly throughout 2021. We start at 11am and finish by 1pm. No prior gardening experience is needed and everyone is welcome to attend. The sessions are run by our friendly team of community park rangers.

Community gardening at Cally Park

What are the benefits of becoming community gardener at Cally Park?

It’s well known that time spent in nature is good for you. Recent research suggests that a two-hour “dose” of nature a week significantly boosts health and wellbeing, including lower rates of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, asthma hospitalisation and mental distress. Dr Mathew White at the University of Exeter Medical School led the study and said, “What really amazed us was this was true for just about every group we could think of. The benefits of a two-hour dose were the same for both young and old, wealthy and poor, and urban and rural people.”

The Wildlife Trusts undertook a study into the impacts of volunteering in nature and discovered that the mental wellbeing of participants improved significantly, and that improvements were greatest for people who had not previously taken part in nature volunteering before. Participants also reported enhanced levels of positivity, health, nature relatedness, pro-environmental behaviour, levels of physical activity and increased contact with greenspace.

According to the recent Space to Thrive report, community gardening also offers opportunities for residents to build social connections and connections with nature, both of which enhance their sense of wellbeing. Additionally, connections with nature also helps build a sense of place and community and fosters feelings of belonging.

How to get involved

Simply fill in our online registration form and select the sessions you can attend. It only takes 2 minutes to complete.

Cally Park during the Covid 19 pandemic

The Victorians originally developed the concept of urban parks, casting them as the “Urban Lungs” of the city. Historic England’s Jennifer White explains that urban green spaces were as “a key part of the infrastructure of any city or town, just as important as libraries, museums, roads and drainage systems.” Parks have again taken on a new importance during the covid 19 pandemic, offering a place to escape, exercise and offering a life-line to many people within the community. This was especially true in Islington where many residents do not have access to a private garden. The importance of local green space was endorsed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government who stated that “People need Parks” in an address to the nation on 18 April 2020. This has meant that Cally Park has experienced much higher-than-usual footfall over the past year and we need your support to help us maintain the park as a vital local resource.