Lucy Mitchell – Administrator and Project Manager at the Golden Hill Community Farm

“Most people lack confidence to grow their own food and knowledge that such initiatives exist”, Lucy Mitchell.

 

 What is your job about?

The community garden is 200 sqm of allotment with emphasis on fresh vegetables and providing a social and accessible space. The garden also provides a flexible volunteer experience and works with children every Tuesday. The garden also provides a holistic experience for its visitors and workers. We do toddler groups to engage them with nature. The garden is accessible to disabled, busy and immobile members of the community.

 

What issues do you address?

Confidence in food growing, Access to organic products including flowers, Combat social isolation through volunteering, supportive space, turning derelict land into productive land.

 

What moved you to take action?

The need to feel useful in the community. Since 2006 I was involved in varied community gardens.

 

What were the obstacles that you had to overcome?

 Site floods in 2012 from rising water levels. Solar power pump scheme 50.000ltrs of water a week and the locals use the water. Funding ran out from National Lottery.

 

What helped you keep going in hard times?

 Good news from new volunteers and people with new experiences of the garden. Constant change because of seasons keeps the spirits up. Seeing new faces and returning volunteers and users of the garden.

 

What first prompted you to become interested in environmental issues and when was that?

 I started as a teenager and became vegetarian. It was a slow journey to being fully environmentally aware and I was inspired by locals and social life in Bristol.

 

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being very happy) where would you rate how you feel about your life?

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