WHO ARE WE

The community-led Maxwell Centre and Garden has been at the heart of the Coldside area for over 20 years. We have an outstanding reputation nationally for delivering a holistic project for wellbeing through support services, youth work and our community garden and outreach. 

We are determined to make our communities stronger, more resilient and adaptable to change but also build the capacity to change our local environment for the better, have important conversations about climate and social change and demonstrate how this can be achieved at the neighbourhood level across Dundee.

 

OUR PROJECT

We will make food growing more accessible to everyone in Dundee to learn and experience environmental action first hand in people’s own neighbourhood in three ways: 

 

1. A NEW DUNDEE FOOD GROWING MAP and EVENT CALENDAR

• Over 30 community growing spaces to visit.  Access to 100s of events to attend and volunteering opportunities throughout the year. 
• Community Gardens will increase their capacity and visibility through the Dundee Food Growing / Community Garden Network, training and support. 
• Volunteers will gain from better physical and mental health and local biodiversity will be improved. 
• Neighbours will benefit from gaining new skills and friendships and access free local produce, increasingly important with the cost of living crisis and given that £1 out of every £10 we spend is on food and that 30% of greenhouse emissions in the UK are from food production.

 

2. REVAMPED FOOD GROWING TOOL AND SEED LIBRARY

We aim to save people money and reduce waste and carbon emissions through these activities and increase the food growing spaces and their productivity across our city.

• Borrow tools and books to get growing your own food
• Free access to one-to-one advice,
• Free seeds, seedlings, cuttings and plants and
• 40+ free weekly workshops.

 

3. YOUTH-LED FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE EVENTS

• Each month we will focus on different climate-related topics to enable and support our community to reflect, learn and take action for a greener and fairer Dundee. 
• We’ll celebrate food, nature and community through free gigs in the garden, films, food, games, conversations for change, etc. 

 

LONG TERM VISION

We are committed to sustaining this project beyond this funding opportunity.

There is a strong momentum amongst community growing spaces, with our new Dundee Food Growing / Community Gardens Network and Grow Dundee group that will keep engaging people in Dundee.

This project is a unique opportunity to deliver and promote, through experience and example at community gardens, many of the objectives laid out in Dundee’s Climate Action Plan and the 20-minute Neighbourhood concept for sustainability. 

Growing Chrysalis, run by Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) in Dawson Park, are transforming a disused bowling green into a multipurpose community space, directed by local need.

This project will bring people together, encouraging people to form new and stronger connections building community capacity and resilience. The space will create opportunities for the whole community to develop and share skills, to volunteer and to influence and improve this amazing greenspace. In addition SAMH will also deliver targeted sessions with schools, nurseries, colleges, families, intergenerational and disability groups. 

We have already started transforming this unused, chemically treated, barren grass space into a wildlife and human friendly haven. We have set up several no-dig beds, mulched borders with woodchip and created a native wildlife corner, wildflower border and fruit beds, however there is a significant area of lawn that needs further investment.

Our climate change priorities include: -

• Improving biodiversity by taking wildlife friendly approaches e.g., animal habitats, welcoming insects, rewilding, no chemicals.
• Using climate resilient growing approaches e.g., perennial vegetables, drought tolerant plants, saving seeds, rainwater collection/irrigation, organic methods.
• Encouraging recycling, reusing, repurposing and using natural materials wherever possible e.g., seed and plant swaps, plant pot swap, upcycling, buying second hand, sourcing local materials.
• Supporting visitors and volunteers who face increased climate anxiety, with our experience of delivering mental health support.

We need funding that can push our project forwards and enable investment into the space as a shared community resource for years to come:

• Polytunnel/food forest/raised beds/tools - So that local residents of Douglas, West Ferry and the wider Dundee community, whatever their income, have access to affordable organic food on their doorstep. This will reduce their climate impact while providing opportunities to learn skills in climate friendly food growing.

• Composting area - Composting prevents food waste going to landfill while feeding our soil and teaching others how to do this at home.
• Rainwater catchment/water irrigation system – We want to collect our autumn and winter rainwater and store it for the drier Spring and Summer months, reducing reliance on tap water. This includes a self-watering polytunnel using irrigation from rainwater tanks.
• Outdoor kitchen/shelter – having opportunities to gather and share food will encourage people to socialise and discuss individual or collective ways to prevent climate change. With a welcoming atmosphere, sharing a table, preparing food together and eating with fresh ingredients we can demonstrate healthy climate-friendly habits that are accessible.