North West Community Gardens
Project: North West Community Gardens & Allotments Project
Timescale: 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2015
Budget: £1.5M
Partners: North West Region Cross Border Group (Lead Partner) Derry City Council (Lead Council), Strabane District Council, Donegal County Council, Limavady Borough Council, Magherafelt District Council and Health Service Executive Public Health Agency.
The aim of the North West Community Gardens and Allotments project is to address health inequalities and the impact of social and economic disadvantage within the North West region, through an integrated healthy living intervention programme.
By creating five demonstration community allotments/garden sites and implementing a programme of training throughout four Council areas, the project assisted in developing healthy living choices amongst target communities within the region.
Designs and specifications for the construction of the sites in Donegal, Limavady, Strabane and Magherafelt are finalised and gardeners have been appointed for each site.
A priority for the project is to deliver healthy living programmes in order to promote healthy eating choices, target socially excluded groups and encourage obesity awareness amongst the regions children. Eco-Unesco and Letterkenny Youth and Family Service have been appointed to deliver training to participants through, for example, healthy gardening for trainers, schools education and green exercise programmes.
A number of events have been delivered; including cooking demonstrations with celebrity Chef Jenny Bristow and fun events for children where learning about planting, eating and cooking healthy foods is delivered in an understandable and accessible way.
The project has produced a Health Impact Assessment and will work further into the future to examine the barriers to healthy living and assess the health impacts and outcomes achieved through participation. It will develop a strategy for health-related activity, focusing on allotments/community gardens model. Results will be presented to decision-makers at national level with a view to informing policy in this area.
The North West is a leading region on the Island in this area, taking a positive step towards healthy living and the associated mental health benefits which come with a more active and inclusive lifestyle. It is providing a best practise example of what can be delivered to communities through working together at a regional scale.