BUBBLE
Growing together
Completed
work in
Agnes Road
Overgrown pocket parks, traffic islands and tree pits are some of the sites that
have been ‘greened’ with flower beds or transformed into community gardens by
local people volunteering their time to improve spaces where they live.
W
ith previous volunteering
experience, recently
arrived Acton resident
Jackie Duke was keen
to get involved to help maintain a
newly created small garden in her
street at the junction of Agnes Road
and The Vale.
With funding provided by the local
ward forum, perennial plants and
shrubs were planted after residents
reported that this was an area prone to
fly-tipping and they wanted to ‘reclaim
it’ for the community.
the Agnes Road garden is very pretty,
a great use of space and cleverly
designed to be easily maintained.”
In the Mill Hill Park conservation
area of South Acton, a group of
residents continue to sustain a small
pocket park in Crown Street that in the
past was underused as a result of antisocial behaviour.
With the support of their ward
councillors and assistance of council
officers, the group designed the
planting and encouraged the
community to get involved too.
‘GREEN AREAS BENEFIT
EVERYBODY’
Jackie said: “This is a lovely area of
London and, as an amateur gardener, I
couldn’t turn down the opportunity to
help maintain the garden. Green areas
benefit everybody and make the city a
pleasant place to live. I have previously
volunteered with the London Wildlife
Trust at Gunnersbury Triangle nature
reserve and now at London Zoo. I think
‘IT WAS A GENUINE
COLLABORATION’
Tatiana Collins, chairwoman of Mill
Hill Park Residents’ Association,
said: “This project was a genuine
collaboration between many parties:
Mill Hill Park residents, the council’s
parks and neighbourhood teams and
West London College students. We
had a tiny budget from the ward,
which we used creatively to come up
with an interesting year-round design,
utilising local talent, led by Marcia
Hurst and Anna Dargaval. The biggest
challenge was always going to be
the maintenance of the garden going
forward. However, once the residents
saw the result, they have always been
keen to help. It is incredibly rewarding
to create your own public spaces.”
To get involved with similar
project in the borough, or for advice
on how to organise one with your
neighbours, use Bubble – the website
www.dosomethinggood.org.uk
which was set up by the council for
community-led projects.
MORE INFO
■
www.twitter.com/
ealingbubble
■
www.facebook.com/
ealingbubble
■
www.dosomethinggood.org.uk
around ealing
Autumn 2016
55