Down to Earth Projects
Our Down to Earth Community Garden and Allotments help build connections to nature through therapeutic horticulture and volunteering, where people learn and develop new skills to benefit their mental and physical wellbeing.
DOWN TO EARTH Garden & Allotments
Our Down to Earth (D2E) Projects include a community garden and two allotment sites. Our D2E Community Allotments project runs on a Tuesday, at the Melbourne Community Allotments in Chelmsford, where we have six plots available to a wide range of participants, volunteers, community groups and schools. We also have a new allotment site at the Hartswood Allotments in Brentwood, which runs every Monday. Our D2E Community Garden project which runs on a Thursday, is based at the Braintree Rec in Braintree which was built in partnership with The Braintree Recreation CIO, Braintree Council, UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and ECC Changing Futures Programme.
Participants cover a wide range of abilities including those living with a mental or physical disability, SEND and adults with complex special needs. We also use our sites to engage recovery clients from charities such as Open Road and also for patients via social prescribing and for those dealing with long term/chronic illnesses. We offer schools and SEND groups bespoke opportunities such as environmental conservation work where a group of students will work on site upkeep and day to day tasks whilst also learning about environmental sustainability.
Currently all of the food grown at our Chelmsford site is shared amongst the volunteers as they learn about food production and sustainability. We also engage people with the subjects of nutrition and cooking, with any surplus donated to Sanctus, a charity that helps feed the homeless and vulnerable people in the local area. There is always an opportunity to chat to neighbouring allotment holders, exchange produce and gardening tips and provide a real sense of community.
CHELMSFORD
To find out more about our three Down to Earth projects please download our brochure here.
BRAINTREE
BRENTWOOD
Who we work with
Social Impact
Participation in the Down to Earth project provides people with an improved sense of community by giving volunteers a sense of belonging and inclusion. The work is an opportunity to learn about the benefits of healthy living and eating whilst the time spent outdoors helps improve mood, confidence and self-esteem.
Participants report improved motivation, the development of teamwork skills, a greater awareness of others in need and the opportunity to participate and achieve in a safe environment. The scheme directly contributes to community health and wellbeing through the provision of organic food grown on site with surplus produce donated to the local food bank, spreading the benefit of the project even further.
Physical activity like digging and weeding contributes to improved physical health, while workshops and activities such as food preparation and cooking help participants to improve their skills and acquire new knowledge. Funders include the Gardening for Disabilities Trust who have funded equipment and supplies to help build additional raised beds enabling the garden to be accessible to all abilities.
Get Involved
The Down to Earth Projects, are a peaceful and rewarding way to build community spirit and connection with nature.
Participants can volunteer their time in helping:
- Establish and care for a range of plants in the outdoor beds on both sites
- Nurture and grow fruit and tomatoes in our all-weather poly-tunnels we have on our allotment site
- Harvest plants when ready, weed and maintain the plots/garden throughout the year
- Participate in creative workshops to encourage skills development and healthier lifestyles
- Socialise during lunch and refreshment breaks helping feel a sense of belonging
Both projects are open to all and have been designed to be as inclusive as possible, through the provision of raised beds, as well as wheelchair accessible containers. We welcome anyone who wants to visit our allotments and community garden to find out more about the work we do in helping people find their connection to nature.
“Thank you to everyone in the Wilderness Foundation team, for working with our NHVS Wilderness students this term. They have thoroughly enjoyed their time at the allotments and are very keen to return in March.”
“Having outside clubs like yours have helped improve her stamina, confidence and well-being about herself.”
D2E Projects - Brentwood Allotments Every Monday, Chelmsford Allotments Every Tuesday & Braintree Community Garden Every Thursday
All Welcome
D2E Community Garden & Allotments Dates
We are currently running groups:
– Every MONDAY 10-3pm at Hartswood Allotments, Brentwood
– Every TUESDAY 10-3pm at Melbourne Community Allotments, Chelmsford
– Every THURSDAY 10-12 and 1-3pm at Braintree Rec
WEDNESDAY’s are also available to groups on request at any of the three sites.
Our Open Days and creative Wilderness Workshops happen throughout the year to engage the local community, including Fruit Tree Pruning, Willow Weaving and Christmas Wreath Making – Booking details for the latest open day/workshops are available on our events page!
Funded by
Current funders include Braintree Council, Brentwood Borough Council, Axis and SAIL with previous funders including TNL Community Fund and Chelmsford Star Coop, Saffron Comm Fund, Cherry Fund, UKSPF and ECC.
We rely on donations and funding to continue to offer funded support for vulnerable and socially isolated adults in the community through our therapeutic gardening groups. With a small donation you can help us to continue to work alongside and support even more people in the communities of Braintree and Chelmsford.
Corporate Volunteers
We were joined by a volunteers team from Essex & Suffolk Water, who spent the day on our allotments site. Their incredible skills and hard work meant we had a new raised bed, a cleared and useable shelter, new paths, compost sieve, cleared vegetable beds to name a few! We were even provided with bacon rolls freshly cooked on site! The work the team put in was invaluable in rejuvenating our site in Melbourne, Chelmsford where we continue to run horticultural therapy programmes supporting vulnerable groups.
“It is great to find a charity that provides real value to a wide selection of society. It makes me proud to look back on how much the ESW team achieved. Having a real ‘before and after’ project outcome that fits the company just an hour event provides great motivation “
Paul Roberts – ESW Regional Maintenance Manager
If you have a corporate team who would like to volunteer their time to a local community project then please get in touch!
