Memory Gardening is a new project led by Bankside Open Spaces Trust to engage older people as active citizens in and around Bankside.  We are focusing on four local housing estates: Scovell Estate, Lancaster Street Estate, Peabody Estate – Sumner Street, and Lant House and Trundle House Estate, along with Redman House.  The project aims to talk to older residents, particularly those who are more isolated, about their past experiences and start to engage older people towards a more active future, particularly in the parks and gardens around them, and will run from autumn 2007 to summer 2008.  We are interested in learning about older people’s experience of living in a rapidly developing area with relatively little green space.

 

Participation

·        Engaging with older people who are often excluded and isolated

·        Enabling older people to have their say in how their local environment is managed and develops

·        Making links with helpful local services

·        Building a memory bank reflecting the area’s important history for all of us

Positive Change

·        Bringing older people together to practically improve their environment

·        Using plants and gardening as a means to have fun and improve fitness

·        Making links across age groups to strengthen the community

·        Building confidence and motivation

 How?

Through informal chats and structured interviews, we aim to gather memories and views of what older people think of their local public areas, and encourage participation in:

• ‘Plants to the People’ – growing and planting events to brighten up estates and generate discussion on improvements
• Gardening days to improve local parks and gardens
• Decision-making forums for the area, such as Friends’ groups,Council meetings, etc
• Working with local schools on community projects
• Developing publications and the BOST website
• Recording memories and developing an archive photo library,including being peer interviewers
• Putting on a local exhibition in 2008

 If you would like to hear more about the project, or volunteer to meet and interview people, please READ ON and contact Verena McCaig, Project Manager or Carole Wright, Community Gardener on 020 7928 5803 or verena@bost.org.uk

Passionate about People Power?

Volunteers Needed for the Memory Garden!

 

 

We want to build a group of volunteers to work together to:

·        Deliver flyers locally about this new project

·        Carry out short interviews with local people about their environment

·        Help us bring ‘Plants to the People’!

Full briefing given – flexible times and days – minimum time commitment equivalent to 1 day

 

If you enjoy listening to memories and tales of Bankside past, why not volunteer to carry out more in-depth interviews with older people? 

·        Attend a training workshop to gain skills in oral history interviewing

·        Meet older local people and record their fascinating memories of local places

·        Gather photographs for our ‘Gardens Archive’

·        Help turn these memories into displays, web links and leaflets

 

 
The project starts in September 2007 and we would like to complete all our interviews by the end of spring 2008 so that we can plan follow-up events and planting through the seasons.

If you think you would enjoy being involved, contact Verena McCaig or Carole Wright on 020 7928 5803 or verena@bost.org.uk
for a chat about the project and to register your interest