Over the past four years, the Holgate Community Garden volunteers have transformed a derelict park at Upper St Paul’s into a thriving, vibrant space in an area where most residents don’t have gardens. A GGS grant allowed them to continue the work they do to keep the garden flourishing with flowers, fruit trees, and wildflower areas and to run family-friendly gardening events that engage locals and children in seed planting, scything and tending the garden.

Fishponds Wood is a designated nature reserve and urban haven for wildlife. The Friends of Fishponds Wood and Beech Grove are committed to increasing and maintaining the biodiversity of this precious woodland and the green areas in the nearby Beech Grove. They carry out monthly action days, involving tree work, litter picking, and flower planting, and have also arranged bat walks and minibeast safaris with local schools. GGS funded a toolshed so that they can expand their volunteering activities.

Thanks to The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), Clarence Gardens is now a more attractive place for wildlife and people. TCV also collaborated with local residents and York LGBT Forum to create York’s first Human Rights Garden, filled with rainbow chard, curly kale, and herbs.

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Redfearn Community Group are dedicated to greening the alleys and streets around Willis Street, Gordon Street, Wolsley Street, Wellington Street. A GGS grant furthered their mission to add beauty and biodiversity to the neighbourhood with planting parties, meet-ups, plant swaps and ‘backyard crawls’!

The Friends of Rowntree Park’s team of volunteers help keep one of York’s best-loved green spaces looking beautiful. With funding from Growing Green Spaces in 2018 and 2019, the Friends added goose-free areas and collaborated with York Mind on a sensory garden that will bring health and wellbeing benefits to park visitors. In partnership with York Bike Belles and the artist Thomas Frere, they created the grass labyrinth that is now a permanent feature of the park,  launched during the 2019 Walk Cycle Festival. Read about their new grant here.

Therapeutic Art and Play Therapy Yorkshire (TAPTY) organised a summer gardening and creative project in Glen Gardens over summer 2018. Aimed at families and children, it involved a lot of sensory, messy, and creative play for children. Families were provided with gardening tools, art materials, and toys; activities included the planting of a herb garden, the braiding of a willow dome, and a hugely successful den-building competition!