With the generous support of the Community Fund
News
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26th July 2024
The start of lots more to come hopefully - we have been planting some cabbages and pumpkins in the beds just to get the ball rolling. With this wet summer we are getting, we're hopeful that we'll have some healthy food to sample in a few months. Keep your eyes on our website and social media pages for updates about events, open days, and workshops to come!
21st June 2024
And we're off! You may see some building materials and heavy machinery in the community garden over the next few weeks. That's because the contractors have finally been given the green light to get started on the works needed for us to start growing produce and eventually open up to the community. So exciting! Thanks so much to Messy Play for all their input and hard work.
6th May 2024
Millie, Kimmy, and Pippa, wondering when we'll be able to start growing some delicious vegetables for the whole community...Soon guys, very soon....
4th April 2024
Our first radio broadcast! Helen Mark from BBC Radio Ulster's 'Gardener's Corner' came to visit us today, to hear all about our plans for the space. We showed off the willow fence and the newly planted crab-apple trees. It was lovely to get her positive feedback and we hope to meet again in the near future.
21st February 2024
Friends of the Field is grateful we get to share the precious green space with important local wildlife. This little frog probably isn't long out of hibernation, and may be enjoying the damp grasses and puddles leftover from the recent spell of wet weather, or perhaps it's heading down to the Lagan for breeding season. Common frogs help to control insect and slug populations, and it was a thrill to see this one jumping around the field!
28th January 2024
Following a group litter-pick last week, in which we filled 9 council bin bags with rubbish from the tree bank in the space of an hour (including alcohol bottles and many dog-waste bags), Colin and Valter get creative with the willow. Kindly provided by Castle Espie, we hope willow branches will create a natural addition to the community garden fence.
10th January 2024
As part of the Upsurge project, the Belfast Hills Partnership's Youth Rangers visit QUB and Lower Botanic Gardens to learn more about nature-based solutions in cities and the importance of engaging with local communities. Colin went along to represent Friends of the Field and discuss our love for the area, and Belfast City Council were able to offer more perspectives on themes like climate action and securing green space. Thank you everyone for the visit. See www.upsurge-project.eu for more information.
11th November 2023
Colin and Valter taking a short break. In preparation for Spring and to ensure the wildflowers can re-establish themselves again, we do some essential weeding and raking of the beds. Hopefully we will see lots more colour and insects again next year!
3rd October 2023
The beginning of a community garden! Over the last couple of weeks, contractors have been working hard to install the fence posts and gates. Obviously, we cannot contain our excitement! We also have lots to be getting on with over the next few months, including meetings with the Belfast City Council Climate Team and a training workshop with our friends at Grow!
30th September 2023
Celebrating the Harvest Moon by learning how to scythe! PhD student Jennifer Newell, who manages the QUB scientific garden, let us practise by cutting the overgrown grass and shrub, which needs to be cleared for more research planting to be take place. Friends of the Field would love to see more of these traditional gardening methods used in future!
24th September 2023
With huge help from QUB Architecture student, Alexis, and her teams from the School of Natural and Built Environment and Lawrence Street Workshop, Friends of the Field participated in the Open Botanic Festival. This aims to bring people together to re-imagine our shared space. Despite the wind and rain, it was an amazingly fun day, and we got to share our ideas for 'Botanic Meadow' with many from the local community. The support was fantastic and it's great to see what we can achieve when we all work together. Thank you to Forward South Partnership for letting us be part of this superb event.
28th August 2023
Friends of the Field held our AGM, a little later than normal due to holidays etc., but we had a lovely afternoon celebrating our achievements to date and planning for the future. We elected the new board members and discussed the Treasurer's report. Our action plan moving forward is to establish a schedule for the community garden, consult with other community gardens, participate in the Open Botanic Festival, and organise our own Autumn event. Keep an eye on here, our Facebook, and our Twitter for updates!
3rd August 2023
Work on the new path and entrance has begun! The aim is to create greater accessibility to the site for all. Although we will miss the field over the next few weeks, we are very excited about the opportunities ahead for strengthening climate and community resilience.
25th July 2023
Summer is often a more laidback time for us all as people take much-needed holidays and recharge before the autumn rapidly returns, but we were very grateful to Sabine and Ryan from the Belfast City Council for meeting us in the field to discuss our concerns regarding a new path and entrance. The QUB Upsurge team joined us too, and an alternative to the original plan has been proposed, which is much more meadow-friendly. Thank you to Kate Nicholl of the Alliance Party for coming along in support.
2nd July 2023
Not even the rain and the looming dark clouds can stop us from keeping the field tidy! We did a little pruning of the overgrown hedges, and tied back some brambles so that they grow along the fence and don't block the pathways. Thank you to Jean-Jacques, Omar, Becks, Aaron, and Qiang for coming along to help!
11th June 2023
It has been a busy month planning our next event (TBC), working out the community garden, checking out funding opportunities, and making lots of new friends along the way. The wildflowers are still blooming and we hope there will be lots more of the same in days to come!
19th May 2023
An exciting day getting together with Kausalya from the TCV, as well as Emma Campbell (QUB) and Alan Wardle (BCC), who work on the Upsurge project. We completed a workshop on how to begin developing a community garden, created our 'wish list,' and drew up some preliminary plans of how it all is going to look. Recognising the importance of urban and community resilience in these current times of climate and biodiversity crisis, meetings like today give us great inspiration and hope.
13th May 2023
Friends of the Field's first Bioblitz! We absolutely could not have held this event without the help and expertise of Dean and Kausalya at TCV; Hannah, Josh and their crew from Buglife; Stewart Rosell at AFBI; Jake from QUB Ecology; Conor McKinney from Wild Belfast; local conservationist Fiona McKinley; Alan Wardle, Mura Quigley, and Orla Maguire from the Belfast City Council; and Dwayne in Botanic Gardens - thank you all so so much!! Also thank you to Helen, Michael, PK, Gawain, Maggie, Aine Grogan (Green Party), Gary McKeown (SDLP), John Gormley (Sinn Fein), Lisa, Andrew, Ade, Amy, Jennifer (QUB), Bakul (QUB), Elsa, Serene, Sue-Ann, Chris, Dakota, Brittney, Adeline, and Ciara. You all know who you are! Thank you for the continuous love and support.
23rd April 2023
Another bright but chilly morning spent in the field, picking up the litter and keeping an eye on the wildflower beds. The dogs had fun too with a discarded frisbee... We are very excited to be planning our Bio-Blitz for the 13th May, and to be inching closer to our ambitions of having a community garden space.