The urgency and intensity of local grassroots work means we tend to prioritise the “doing” over the “telling”. It is difficult to find the time to take stock and reflect on the collective experience of a group, especially when those experiences are varied and multilayered.
When Pembroke House was asked to support the winding-down of Walworth Community Gardening Network (WCGN) as a legal entity, and support the transition to an informal network, the challenge was how to tell the story of a group that had spent the past 8 years doing.
Formed in 2017, the WCGN was made up of local gardens and growers within the Walworth area. Initially an informal network, the WCGN met regularly for activities including garden visits, group training, celebratory events and collective problem solving that engaged Southwark Council directly in dialogue to resolve their mutual challenges. In 2019, the group transitioned into a structured, funded organisation. However the resulting challenges (among various wins), led the group to decide to scale back to an informal network, which thrives on strong relationships, practical knowledge-sharing and occasional events.
Two weeks ago, on a sunny Saturday afternoon we gathered to reflect on their journey. Beginning at Sutherland Square Garden (SE17 3EL), the WCGN held a plant swap event that embodied the spirit of the group, before moving on to Pullens Centre, Amelia Street, to celebrate the launch of a publication on “The Story of Walworth Community Gardening Network”.
It was an event about beginnings, endings and all the challenges, joys and learnings that take place in between. Enke Huang, the community researcher commissioned by Pembroke House to delve into the story of the WCGN, eloquently summarised members’ different and sometimes conflicting memories, experiences, ideas and relationships.
Sighs of recognition spread across the room as Enke recalled specific challenges: frustrations over damage caused by the council’s own grounds maintenance teams, the tight balance between finding time to garden while chasing funding applications, and the underlying tensions of ownership that groups encountered in trying to cultivate gardens on council-owned land.
There were also grunts of affirmation over the deep joy that members experienced across their time together. The dynamic and evolving relationships, the radical and political nature of gardening, and the first hand experience of what becomes possible when local people come together to meet their collective needs.
To find out more about the story of the WCGN, make sure to drop by the Walworth Living Room (Surrey Square, SE17 2JU), where we have physical copies of the publication.
We will also be holding an online sharing event in September, where we will launch the digital version of the report sign up here!