The secret St Pauls garden thats uniting community

On a recent Thursday morning, two small girls bound happily across the grassy space, handing out edible flowers and rooting through the foliage to show off the giant courgettes growing beneath.

“The lettuce is my favourite,” states seven-year-old Ashti, adding that she and her sister, four-year-old Arianne, love coming to the garden to play and have water fights.

It is their mum, Tara Miran, who has made her vision of creating a vibrant garden for the entire community to enjoy a reality.

“I came across the space a few years ago but I never acted on it at first,” says Tara, sitting in one of the plastic chairs in the communal sitting and BBQ area at the end of the garden, next to a recently uncovered mural.

As a governor of St Paul’s Nursery – just a stone’s throw away from the garden – she finally spoke out about her dream of creating a safe space for the children to enjoy, grow things and learn about nature and quickly set to work.

“I said I wanted the space cleared because it was dangerous and just used as a bin,” explains Tara.

“The council cleared it up and I called a community meeting. I thought it would be best to ask what people thought should be done with the space.

“After that, we decided it would be a community gardening space for everyone to enjoy. Everyone plants what they want, and we get to enjoy it together so there’s no ownership.

“The garden has really brought so many people from very different backgrounds together. I see some of the older people taking my kids round and telling them about the garden. We sometimes do a barbecue in the garden and go round inviting everyone.”

Tara says the knock-on effects of the garden have been the most surprising and pleasing, including the intergenerational enjoyment and chance to involve people who face isolation.

Spotting a friend walking in the road opposite the garden, Tara calls over the fence to invite her to come in anytime with her children.

There are a few members of the community who keep keys to the gate and the garden is open to anyone, with the produce shared among all.

For Tara, the garden is a source of peace and enjoyment, where her children can grow and learn and spend summer evenings outside. “It reminds me of my childhood in Kurdistan,” she says with a smile.

But it has come to mean so much to the many members of the community.

Full article https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/features/the-secret-st-pauls-garden-thats-uniting-a-community/

https://bristolthreads.co.uk/home/st-pauls-community-allotment-super-garden