Community Garden Film

Please have a look at the Friends of the Earth Falkirk Community Garden Film. If you haven't seen our four gardens in Falkirk this will hopefully give you an idea of what a handful of enthusiastic people can do when they put ther minds to it. As well as creating gardens it has created a community.

Soup and Stovie Day

Friends of the Earth Falkirk celebrated the harvest of our Bean Row Urban Vegetable Community Garden with a Soup and Stovies lunch at the garden on Saturday 1st September. 

The event was an opportunity to share the stories of the transformation of the Bean Row garden form a disused piece of land to a productive vegetable garden in the centre of Falkirk. 

The soup and stovies were very tasty and all the better for having the produce grown on the very place they were being eaten- Local Food at it's purest. The day was a big thank you to everyone who has worked in the garden, be it planting or weeding, to those who donated plants and for those who have just shown an interest in the garden as it has been transformed in less than a year.

One of the funniest stories of the day was the men from the shop across the lane commenting on the bitterness of our peas over the summer. It was only when they pointed to the plants they had been picking from were we able to inform them that they were eating our beans. The beans were the first seeds we planted in the Bean Row Garden.

The plan is to fill the gaps created with the harvest to plan some winter crops.

We have already taken orders for next years event so we will just have to start all over again in Spring to get the ingredients for the soup and stovies.

Thanks for all the support we have received in regards to all four of our community gardens in Falkirk.

Norman Philip
Friends of the Earth Falkirk

Charities Day Book Stall

Friends of the Earth Falkirk had its annual book stall on the High Street. Although we made £42.50 the main aim of the day is to remind the shoppers that there is a local group in Falkirk who cares for the environment both locally and wider afield. We were able to promote our community gardens and invite a few people to out soup and stovies day. Thanks for volunteers who helped it it was good for everyone to have a chat and spend some time together.

Community Garden Workparty

The weather wasn’t promising as we embarked on a tidy-up of our town centre gardens but we’re well used to the drizzle this summer.  Norman and I started on the Newmarket Street site, planting some lobelia which was kindly donated by Falkirk Council, and removing the cigarette ends which are still unfortunately blighting the garden.  The herbs are coming along beautifully – the lemon mint smells wonderful.

We did a quick litter pick in Bean Row and admired the veg – looking forward to the Soup & Stovies Day at our AGM on 1^st September!  Norman took some great photos of the beans and other greens.

Kings Court looked fine so we headed for Arnot Street where we were joined by Jean.  We planted more of the Council bedding plants and I was surprised at how good the yellow marigolds looked in between the lavender.

As usual, we were encouraged by appreciative glances and nods from passers-by, and we had a more in-depth chat with a woman who has adopted a neglected piece of ground near her home and turned it into a beautiful garden which everyone can enjoy.
 

Sandra Burt, Community Gardening team

  

Beans means Falkirk Community Garden

Beans, potatoes, onions and carrots etc are all taking shape at our Bean Row Urban Vegetable Plot in central Falkirk

Spring Clean at Community Gardens

Before the April meeting, on the last Monday of the month, local group members gave all four of our community gardens a spring clean. At Bean Row the potatoes were earthed up, or hidden under earth to the surprise of Norman and Des, and more veg seeds were planted. The Arnot Street garden was giving a mow by the group's mower man- Des (see above) and a bit of a weed. We appear to be sharing the Kings Court garden with a number of groups of youths but we still gave it a clear up and planted some of our new plants bought with our Litter Strategy prize voucher for Jupiter. The ASDA herb garden wasn't left out and the herbs have spung into life with the latest spring sun.

All in all the gardens are blooming, including a range of wildlife friendly plants- which Corrie refers to as weeds. There has been a number of offers to keep the gardens clear of litter and weeds and to continue the voluntary effort which has achieved so much from so little so far.

45 miles Pedal Against Pollution ends at Grangemouth

Eurig Scandrett undertook a 45 mile sponsored cycle tour of central Scotland on the 28th April, for and on behalf of The Bhopal Medical Appeal. Eurig is Convenor of Scottish friends of Bhopal, a project of The Bhopal Medical Appeal.

“Amongst raising funds and awareness for The BMA, we aim to highlight that the issues Bhopal raises are not unique to this community alone. Bhopalis represents environmental injustice everywhere. All the places listed on the tour that Eurig is cycling to in Scotland have a history of resistance to pollution and by cycling between them, Eurig hopes to emphasise the connection between these communities and to highlight the common issue of how pollution from industry and its toxic emissions effect us all” says Ingrid Neil, also from Scottish friends of Bhopal.

Norman Philip, from FoE Falkirk, meet up with Eurig at the end of his cycle and provided a Carbon Cycle Tour of Grangemouth. During this final stage of the tour there was an opportunity to discuss the storied behind the corporate signs within the town. Dow and BP are using the London Olympics to try and present a green image despite the reality of their polution in Scotland and across the globe. Dow was even flying their Olympic flag at their factory gate.

Read more about the cycle and the the work of BMA by following this link
:http://www.bhopal.org/2012/05/pedal-agianst-pollution-central-scotland-cycle-ride-for-bhopal/

There is still an opportunity to make a contribute to support the cause.

http://pedalonparliament.org/contact/