In the words of the RHS, whether it’s greening a local area, starting a food growing project or conserving an area for wildlife, community gardening can have a huge impact for both people and places. Whether growing herbs with a neighbour or developing a space for wildlife, creating new social connections through gardening can transform our wellbeing and environment for the better.
Incredible Edible
This global network encourages people to connect with the food they eat, by planting food crops – vegetables, fruit and herbs – in public spaces. Everyone can help to look after the plots and all are welcome to help themselves to the produce.Our site at Ryden’s Way (what3words location ///ocean.gold.driven) has started up again; follow us on Facebook for the latest news and how you can get involved.
Our Sustainable Byfleet project is exploring the possibility of setting up a similar site in Byfleet – see here for more details.
Community Gardening at the Vyne, Knaphill
Dramatize has partnered with the local community to revitalise the community garden at the Vyne Community Centre, transforming it into a vibrant, welcoming and safe space for everyone to enjoy throughout the year.
A group of volunteers meets every Monday morning to support the ongoing care and development of the garden. Alongside this, Dramatize provides educational gardening sessions for adults with learning disabilities, helping to build skills, confidence and community connection.
If you’re interested in taking part in the volunteer sessions or learning more about their programmes, contact them at info@dramatize.co.uk.
West Byfleet Community Gardening Group
This group of local residents has been greening up the local railway station and providing spaces for wildlife and wellbeing, as part of its aim to make West Byfleet more attractive for wildlife and people. Read here how they started off adopting the station in 2020.
Email them at westbyfleetcommunitygardening@gmail.com or join their Facebook group to get involved in planting activities and to share gardening and wildlife ideas to help ‘green’ our community.
Angelic Network Gardening Sessions
The RHS Community Outreach Team appears again, this time supporting the Angelic Network CIC at their gardening sessions at St. Paul’s Church in Woking (what3words location ///scarcely.energetic.pays). Check out their website for how to take part.
Generous Garden
This community food growing and well-being garden in Sheerwater (what3words location ///frog.opens.bags) was designed and built by RHS horticultural students in collaboration with the local community. See here for more details.
Community Orchards
Surrey County Council is working with communities across Surrey to plant a tree for every one of our residents by 2030. That is 1.2 million new trees!
You can check out where these are planted using their online map.
WEAct members took part in the planting of 10 fruit trees at Goldsworth Park Health Centre on 20th February 2025.
See here for WEAct’s tree planting project. The sessions on 8th/9th March 2025 included crab apple, blackthorn, dog rose, elderberry, hazelnut and rowan.
For trees which bear edible fruit, check out the Mundraub Navigator app, for where these are located; you can also use the app to register additional locations.
Don’t Let it Rot on The Plot
This WEAct project is inspired by the national Abundance Network, to help people harvest gluts of unwanted fruit in their area, so that the fruit is shared and used in the community.
See here for more details.