Final Report 2017-18CCF-4904

Deveron Projects The Brander Building

Huntly 01466 79494

TOWN IS THE GARDEN

“The project has helped to create a sense of community and care around food growing and sustainable, responsible food production. It has brought people together through the process of making and building, to have discussion, learn skills, and exchange knowledges. This feels very important when the crises of climate change can often be felt in isolation.”

Contents

1. Headline Achievements 2. The Story 3. Programme4. Outcomes5. Reflection 6. Legacy7. Finance and Administration 8. Activity Grid

Ran over 30 workshops and events

242partici-pants

directly involved

Grew 620Kg of food

Saved 25 tonnes of

COe2

Saved 919Kg of food

waste from landfill

Headline Achievements

A site of transformation where loose material becomes fertile and productive. We supported the community to compost more waste locally and develop a composting network across the town. How can we think of Huntly as a more sustainable, interconnected place when it comes to food systems?

A thing used to help perform a job. We provided free open-access workshops and events sharing skills, labour and knowledge on food production, horticulture and sustainability within our community. How might horticulture help us to think about the metaphors we use to construct our knowledge of the world around us and the spaces we share with others?

A space for conversation, discussion and actions. We are brought food to the table for discussion as well as holding activities on food preservation, cooking and eating. How can we think and act in a more sustainable, caring way through the processes of food production?

A piece of land marked out for a purpose. Through the project we supported individuals, organisations and groups, no matter the size of their plot, to grow more food. How is our community and relationship to the land shaped by food?

From which, under the right conditions, new things begin to develop. We provided free plants and seeds, as well as the support and advice needed to get growing. How might we begin to revalue our relationship to food and to the land?

The Town is the Garden was a one-year horticultural programme by Deveron Projects improving Huntly’s potential to grow more of its own food and create a more sustainable local food economy. Through employing a gardener in residence we hoped to develop Huntly into a garden town that celebrates locally grown produce.

[N]ow, shakily on this little remnant of allotment, he sets a few beans.Because it is the time of year: it is time to sow beans.

Adrian Bell

What if the town was the garden?Huntly is a historic market town situated within the rich agricultural land of Aberdeenshire. An area that despite accounting for around 12% of Scotland’s overall agricultural area produces over 20% of the country’s agricultural output. The landscape around us is shaped by food: by what we eat and the food system that currently supports this. And yet, it would seem that our relationship to food is more disjointed and detached than at any other period in history — perhaps evidenced by the fact that we are spending less and less on it while simultaneously demanding that it becomes even cheaper. On top of this, as our climate breaks down, it would seem that the conventional food system in its current state is not sustainable from neither an environmental or economic perspective. Our relationship to food must change. There are some difficult conversations to be had. With this in mind, what is the future of food production for an area like Huntly? The Town is the Garden is about exploring this future.

What we said we would do:

Through adapting the idea of a ‘garden city’

How we said we would do it:

To help us achieve these aims we wish to employ a town gardener in residence and a trainee gardener in residence, who would be tasked with promoting the positive impacts growing your own food and composting locally can have for the residents of Huntly. As well as working specifically with the participants of the project, they would also serve the community as a whole through providing open-access workshops and talks on food growing/composting, as well as advancing the communities carbon literacy. They would become local ambassadors for a more sustainable Huntly — our ambition would be that they become an integral part of community life here.

We said we would:

• Enagage a selection of the community in a programme to reduce food waste going to landfill and reduce food miles through increased growing and consumption of food locally.

• Provide free open-access practical workshops on growing food and composting available to the wider community

• Develop a community composting network for the redistribution of food waste/compost

• Develop a surplus food exchange network/swap shop, where excess food produced can be re-distributed

• Provide a tailored ‘call and visit’ advice service

to apply to Huntly we are interested in the transformative act of gardening and its potential to reduce our town’s carbon emissions, making it a much more sustainable place to live. The garden city movement was a method of urban planning that emphasised the need for agriculture and food growing to take place within a settlement, creating self-sufficient and self contained communities.

To adopt this idea, we wanted to employ a town ‘gardener in residence’ and a trainee gardener in residence, who through the Town is the Garden project, would help us to begin a process of transforming our town into a vibrant low carbon community and a source of inspiration for other rural communities.

Our aims:

• To reduce carbon emissions in Huntly in relation to food and food waste:

• To promote and encourage the composting of food waste locally.

• To promote community-led food trade and develop a more sustainable food economy that celebrates locally grown seasonal produce

• To advance the skills of the local community in food growing, composting and horticulture

• To improve our community’s carbon literacy and advance education on the impact of climate change

• To develop a legacy for Huntly as a low carbon economy ‘garden town’

• Identify and assist with other community growing opportunities within the area

• Organise a harvest celebration in September

• Organise a series of talks, film screenings and discussions on low carbon futures

• Promote gardening as a tool for developing a stronger sense of community and social cohesion.

• Develop a legacy plan for the Town is the Garden project

To measure the success of the project we developed these outcomes, related to saving carbon emissions and the community:

• Reduce amount of unavoidable food waste going to landfill/transported from Huntly, saving C02e emissions by 5.90 tonnes, through increasing the amount of composting happening locally.

• Reduce food miles: increase growing and consumption of food locally, saving 5.63 tonnes of C02e.

• Promote local, home grown seasonal produce to at least 100 people in our community.

• Increase carbon literacy of at least 100 people in our community through climate change education.

• Provide a traineeship programme for 10 young people where they will gain valuable skills in growing food, composting, community project organisation and event management.

• Provide 10 opportunities for local people to share skills within the community.

drew in experts from the local area, creating opportunities for the sharing of local knowledge and skills across generations.

At each farmers’ market, taking place on the first Saturday of everyone month, we ran a pop-up seasonal cafe, which in addition to distributing free plants and seeds, we also used as a platform to promote a relevant seasonal activity, skill sharing and learning. We did such things as making your own juice from wild foods, live jam making, community apple pressing, build your own wormery and composter.

So what did we do? We employed a part-time Gardener in Residence, a part-time Trainee Gardener in Residence and a Green Coordinator, to manage the project — this was slightly different to how we had originally planned to staff the project. To begin with we distributed lots and lots of free organic seeds and plants grown in the Deveron Projects greenhouse to the local community, utilising local shops and events to get as many people possible involved in the project.

Our programme / workshopsTogether the Town is the Garden team developed a programme of events, workshops, walks, talks and discussions to help support our community to grow more of their own food, compost more of their own food waste and build resilience. Each month we delivered a free open-access workshop focusing on a particular topic or skill. We ran workshops on sowing seed and plant care, build your own planter, composting, seed saving and permaculture, to name a few. Each workshop

future might look like, with Dr Leslie Mabon (RGU). The second on understanding our relationship to energy and what a transition to renewables means socially and politically, with Dr Annabel Pinker (Hutton Institute). And finally, on sustainable homes, what we need to know now and how we might build better homes in the future. This will be an ongoing series.

The HairstTo celebrate the harvest, at the September farmers’ market we held a special event. During the market, we ran a skills workshop on methods to preserve the harvest, demonstrating how to make pickles, ferments and other preserves, collaborating with Slow Food Aberdeen. In the midst of the market we held a discussion on the future of food production: building resilient food systems and economies. We invited Lorna Patterson ( National

Food exchange networkTo help deal with food waste, seasonal gluts and excesses in production, and harvesting wild food in season, we developed a food exchange network based on the idea of an honesty shop. Held once a week, a small stall was set up outside the office where we would display any food we had grown or made that we had in excess, such as a glut of courgettes or jars of chutney (made from that glut). The community was encouraged to also donate to the stall, bringing what ever they had too much of. The stall attempted to create a slightly different economy, that based on exchange rather than market — of course you could also take something for nothing!

Field Notes on Surviving the FutureA series of talks/discussions to help us unravel some of the complexities related to climate change and to try and situate some of the issues within our own daily lives in Huntly. We held 3 events: The first exploring the impacts of climate change on Huntly and what a sustainable

“It’s a great experience. I find it extremely comforting that these skills are shared with others as I cannot imagine a future where people actually cannot afford to grow their own.”

sites with their pupils. We also helped the secondary school apply for funding to purchase a polytunnel, to allow them to grow more plants. Our gardener visited many more sites across the town, giving advice and support to other local groups and individuals looking to grow more food or create better composting facilities. Such as The Episcopalian Church, Balhousie Care Home, Hanover Court sheltered housing, the Linden Centre, the train station and Networks of Wellbeing.

“It has galvanised a lot of people, talking about different things growing. I also learned about new plants that grow here in our climate - that I did not think about before.”

Farmer’s Union), David Watts (Human Geography, Aberdeen Univeristy) and James Reid (market gardener/permaculture designer, Tap O’ Noth Farm) to help inform the discussion. In the evening, with One Seed Forward, we held a hairst pit fire feast (cooking food on hot stones buried in the ground) using only food grown through the

project.

Growing Sites and Community SupportThrough the project we developed several growing sites across Huntly. We turned the Library garden into an educational site where we could run workshops on food growing and composting, as well as bringing on plants to distribute to the community. We took on an allotment plot to create a demonstration plot, where we experimented with different growing techniques and composting methods to show our participants. We worked with both the local primary school and secondary school, supporting them to develop their own allotments and composting

actual capacity of the composting site — so in February, with the support of a local business, began the development of a community composting site. We are looking forward to seeing how this progresses in 2018.

An Apple in Common An unexpected

outcome. We were able to distribute 100 apple trees to the community for free. The gifted apple trees came with a small catch: each year of harvest those caring for the trees must donate a percentage of the fruit back to the community. Although planted in private gardens, the trees will benefit the wider community, becoming a community resource, held in common. The fruit from these trees will be made available each year at the October farmers’ market, where the fruit will be pressed into juice and given back to the community.

CompostingAs well as supporting 84 individuals to reduce their food waste through composting at home, we also experimented with developing a composting network with local businesses. We built a composting site in the Brander Garden of the local library and began collecting a food waste from a selection of town centre businesses. Begun as a trial and as a way of raising awareness, we were conscious of the sustainability of this scheme — as well as the

“This generous project makes food growing more accessible, even to folk like myself who had never really tried it before and have limited garden space. For example, building and decorating my own veg planter on a beautiful summer day in the Brander Garden, and getting to take home a variety of seeds to; within just a couple of weeks I was seeing radish and lettuce shoots springing up! The events are welcoming and interesting and I have loved walking away with new skills, knowledge and the ability to grow my own food! I believe that in a society where we are so dependent on supermarkets, projects like The Town is the Garden open a door to alternatives. It has been a real joy to join the community of people brought together by the project, I hope there are many more opportunities to come next season!”

Library and ResourcesThrough the project we have been developing a Town is the Garden library, which now has over 100 books in its collection. The library is free for anyone to use, with a catalogue available online. Alongside this we have been producing, to compliment each event, a series of ‘recipe’ cards and readers, which contain seasonal recipes, DIY instructions, related essays and additional information. Some of these can be found on the project website or picked up from our office. We also started a Facebook group for sharing knowledge, information and ideas related to the project — the group has over 100 members and growing.

“It got me thinking and it is encouraging to expand the sustainability lifestyle to other areas of life such as biodegradable detergents or reducing plastic waste ( which is a real challenge).”

2518.21Food grown through project:620.25 x 0.54 (emissions factor) = 334.932518.21-334.93 = 2183.28 / 100Emissions saving of: 21.83 tonnes CO2e

Reduce amount of avoidable food waste going to landfill/transported from Huntly, saving C02e emissions by 5.90 tonnes, through increasing the amount of composting happening locally. Outcome Partially Met

Why? Through initial research we discovered that Aberdeenshire is one of the worst areas for food waste/recycling.

What we did: We ran a series composting of composting workshops with participants, local businesses and the local schools; helped build a composting site at the Secondary school allotment; and created a composting site at the community Brander Building. In March 2018 we established a community composting site — still at an early stage, results not yet accounted for in outcome.

How we measured this? We surveyed participants to find out who was currently composting their own food waste and roughly how much. We then asked participants to record how much food waste they composted over the year.

Calculations:

Outcomes Reduce food miles: increase growing and consumption of food locally, saving 5.63 tonnes of C02e. Outcome Exceeded

Why? Two large supermarkets dominate the local food economy Huntly. This has had a huge impact on the provision of food within the town; there is no grocer and the availability of local fresh produce in town is minimal. Through pre-project research we discovered that the availability of locally produce is a key concern for many of the population. In response to this, one of the key objectives of the project was to support and promote the benefits to the local community of growing more of their own food.

What we did: We provided free organic, non-F1 hybrid seeds and plants to the local community; ran a series of seasonal workshops each focusing on a particular food growing skill, e.g. from how to sow seed to how to plan and prepare a growing site. How we measured this? We asked participants to weigh the food they grew. Our participants grew 620.25Kg of food!

Calculations: Average embodied carbon emissions if shopped at supermarket: 620.25 x 4.06 (emission factor) =

and experimented with pit fire cooking. We also held a series of friday lunch talks giving local producers the chance to talk about their practice, ethos and products. We held a series of evening cooking workshops, each time led by a different member of the community, highlighting a particular recipe that they hold dear. How we measured this? We surveyed participants at the beginning of the project to find out what their current food shopping habits were, then quarterly to see if there had been any changes. We also asked a selection of participants to evaluate how each event/workshop had impacted upon their knowledge/behaviour.

Results: Through our survey we where able to notice a shift in behaviour in our participants. Percentage of participants reliant on supermarkets for their food shopping, before and after:

Increase carbon literacy of at least 100 people in our community through climate change education.Outcome Partially Met

Why? Despite the work of other local organisations, there is within Huntly currently no regular activities promoting education on climate change/carbon literacy.What we did: We ran 3 carbon literacy events

87.5%73%

Average emissions for landfill: 919 x 0.68 = 624.92Emissions for food composted: 919 x 0.006 = 5.51= 6.19 tonnes

33 of the 84 people already composted, so6.18 / 84 = 0.73 x 51 (people who had not composted before) =Emissions saving of: 3.75 tonnes CO2e

Promote local, home grown seasonal produce to at least 100 people in our community. Outcome Met

Why? Huntly, despite being surrounded by an area of productive farmland, has few opportunities to access locally produced food. Supermarket reliance is high, and local produce is not valued. Eating habits are poor within Huntly, with multiple issues being identified by an NHS Grampian study, resulting from poor diet and lifestyle.

What we did: We ran series of seasonal foraging walks that highlighted key local species; each time gathering a particular plant and creating something from it in the Deveron Projects kitchen. We ran a seasonal cafe at the local farmers’ market, showcasing seasonal products and sharing food cooking methods and recipes. We created a series of seasonal recipes and distributed them to the community through various events. In September we held a harvest celebration, sharing food preserving techniques

We feel it is crucial to create opportunities where local young people can become involved in understanding the processes of growing food and sustainability.

What we did? We worked closely with the local secondary school, supporting them to develop their own allotment. Through this we ran a number of workshops with pupils, learning about growing food and composting. Through our programme of events we also invited a number of young people to participate, giving them the opportunity to learn about event management. We also worked with a young person directly at the local allotment, supporting him to learn about growing food. How we measured this? We asked participants to fill out self assessment forms after each activity. Results: On average participants prior to the activity scored themselves 2/10; on average af-ter the workshop they scored themselves a 4/10.

Provide 10 opportunities for local people to share skills within the community. Outcome Exceeded Why? To help our community become more sustainable and better equipped to deal with climate change, we think it is vital that we begin ‘tooling’ ourselves for the future. This

under the title, Field Notes on Surviving the Future, each looking at a specific topic in relation to climate change: Community, Energy and Housing. This series is ongoing. We also ran a workshop in the secondary school — in June 2018 we will support these pupils to run a day long workshop on climate literacy for their peers.

How we measured this? We asked a selection of participants to complete a feedback form which captures how their knowledge/understanding has changed as a result of the workshop, on sliding scale from 1 (very little) to 10 (a lot).

Results: On average participants prior to the workshops scored themselves a 3/10; on average after the workshops they scored a 7/10.

Provide a traineeship programme for 10 young people where they will gain valuable skills in growing food, composting, community project organisation and event management. Outcome Partially Met Why? Before beginning the project there were very few opportunities like this in Huntly.

3 7

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involves making the most of our local resources and knowledge, and creating opportunities where these can be shared.What we did? We ran monthly skill sharing workshops and events at the farmers’ market, working with local people, creating a platform where their knowledge could be shared. How we measured this? We asked participants to fill out a feedback form, assessing how their knowledge/skills had changed.Results: On average participants prior to the activity scored themselves 4/10; on average after the workshop they scored themselves a 7/10.

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ReflectionAlthough the project started later than initially planned, due to issues with employment and getting the right people and configuration, overall we feel the project has been a relative success. We managed to meet most of our outcomes , well exceeding our target CO2e savings for growing food, and engaged with a good percentage of the local population — although dealing directly with 242 participants, we estimate that overall our project has engaged with around 728 people (taken from Deveron Projects event statistics). We believe that the reaction to the project on the whole has been very positive within the community, much of the feedback we have received has supported this. There has been a real sense of a community forming around the project and we have found that through the practical, embodied learning happening through the workshops and other events, space for dialogue and discussion has also opened

“This is an excellent project that is on the pulse of where we all need to be re self reliance, sharing knowledge and skills, working together as a community as we learn how to adapt to climate change, and do our share together to minimise damage to our ecosystem. I do hope this project continues as it inspires me to continue learning and growing my own food from seed which I love :) I found the climate change talk most informative and will attend more.”

“I have found engaging with this project has helped me to think about wider food systems and our impact as consumers on local and global food markets. I have particularly enjoyed this projects creative and visual approach as well as its aim to bring communities of people together to think about climate change and to support each other in learning, growing, eating and living.”

“I think more about where the food is coming from I consume.”

up. Through the physical act of doing/making together, our wider situation, in regards to the food system, has come into focus: act local, think global. “You’re all very nice and approachable but don’t be scared to be more direct. You could push your ideas and agenda a little more and it would be well received” A weaknesses of the project has been around the collection of data and feedback from participants. Trying several different methods but never quite finding the right one. Although we have been able to capture many of the opinions and ideas of the participants, we have not always been able to properly collect information that helps us to understand what changes or influence the project may have had.

The biggest challenge of the project has been working with young people. Although we have worked closely with the local school (Primary and Secondary), we have found engaging with young people outwith of this difficult. We have had many young people attend events but very few willing to engage with the project beyond that. For the project to continue, we will have to make sure we can over come this challenge.

Legacy One year simply isn’t enough! Throughout the project we have been looking at ways in which we can continue to share the knowledge and

skills we have learned. Our resource library is one of the ways we plan to do this; it will continue to be free to access and available to the local community. Our Facebook group will also remain active and administrated by Deveron Projects, connecting local people and creating an online space for sharing information and resources. Similarly our project page on Deveron Projects website will remain as an archive, where all of the recipe cards, instructions and additional information can be easily accessed. We hope that many of the skills and knowledge that have been shared through our workshops will also help create a lasting legacy for the project, for example learning with our participants how to save seed so that they are

less reliant on commercial suppliers. Through distributing free apple trees, we also hope to have created a community resource that will last many years. And crucially we hope that many of the relationships that have developed over the project, whether between participants or those who have volunteered, will create a network of local food activists. We have supported the school to develop their own allotment (both at the Primary and Secondary), making sure that these sites are sustainable beyond this first year. We have also been in conversation with the local council about future developments; they have given their support for the development of a wild flower meadow, community orchard and forest garden. Through the project we have been able to organise a group of volunteers who are keen to take on the development of this site. And finally, we have been successful in securing another two years of funding. The team is really looking forward to continuing the project.

Finance and Administration The project ran fairly smoothly but unfortunately our trainee gardener in residence had to leave the post before the project finished. This initially left us with an underspend, which we used to purchase more

materials for the project and to bring in additional support for workshops and activities. As such some re-profiling occurred.

Activities GridHow many training courses* did your project deliver?How many events did your project hold?

32

How many events held by other organisation did you participate in?

20

How many staff, volunteers or community members have achieved qualifications through the project?

1

How many people were directly employed by your project?

2.0

How many sessional staff members were employed throughout the project?

6

Has the project supported the development of any long-term jobs which are not dependent of CCF Funding?

0

How many people are actively involved in your project – attending events and participating in workshops etc.?

242

How many people volunteer their time and energy to keeping the project going – don’t forget the members of your management committee or board?

15

Activities GridHow many volunteer hours have been recorded to support your project?

100+

How many schools are involved in your project?

2

How many square metres (m2) of community growing space (allot-ments, poly-tunnels, raised beds, community gardens) has your pro-ject brought into use?

1000m2 (estimate)

How many kg’s of food has been grown during your project?

620

How many kg’s of waste has been composted during your project?

919

This report was compiled by the Town is the Garden team, with support from Deveron Projects. We would like to thank our Project Officer Claire Gibson and all the other staff at the Climate Challenge Fund / Keep Scotland Beautiful for being so supportive over the year. And of course a massive thank you to everyone who participated and supported the project locally.

townisthegarden@deveron-projects.comwww.deveron-projects.com/town-garden

Compost is so hot!