A wonderful day out in the heart of Deptford
Words by Carlo Pandian
On Sunday 3rd February, an intrepid group of families and gardening enthusiasts continued on their path to transform a neglected patch of wilderness in the middle of Deptford. The Old Tidemill School Wildlife Garden is the setting for one of the most exciting new community projects in the area.
Old Tidemill School is currently home to a collective named Assembly. The group are determined to see the once wild playground for school children; now overgrown and abandoned, transformed into a thriving and magical space for all the community to explore and play in. Currently, an enthusiastic group of parents and children, many of whom used to attend the primary school, are beginning to cut back the overgrowth and breathe some life back into the place.
The collective, with the help of London Play, have already constructed a tree house, started a vegetable patch and have big plans for the rest of the garden. They are looking for eager volunteers who would like to help change this unique green space in the middle of Deptford and are trying to meet other exciting and creative projects that are out there to help with an invite into the space.
The following are some of the activities that have happened so far:
- Arts and craft activities
- Outdoor skill sharing, such as fire lighting, lantern making and tree climbing
- Pond clearing
- Vegetable growing
- Tree house building
- Outdoor theatre by in-house group, Intuitive Creatures
- Most importantly, playing, exploring and engaging with nature in the real outdoors
The next garden open day will be on Sunday 18th February, from 12 noon till 4pm and will be fortnightly thereafter.
More details about the project can be found on the website. www.assemblyse8.org. Or you can also contact them directly by email at assembly.se8@gmail.com
