LATEST NEWS // Enter the Forest Gate Community Garden Hoarding Competition

Keep your eyes peeled for an official announcement of the Forest Gate Community Garden Hoarding Competition – a great opportunity to see your artwork on full extent of the external fence, located at the heart of burgeoning Forest Gate.

The competition is open to everybody and will involve a design for the full length and height of the fence, including cut-out windows to view into the garden itself. 

Designs need to be submitted to the FGCG team by 1 June 2015 and the winning design will then be painted by the community on a subsequent date in Summer. There will also be an exhibition of the winning design and runners up.

Judges for the competition are Steering Group Member, landscape architect, urban designer and competition lead Jane McCarthy; Steering Group Member and local artist, writer and editor Sonya Patel Ellis; internationally renowned artists Alex Chinneck, Tom Ellis and Lothar Götz; and local councillor Ellie Robinson.

Keep checking in here, on our website and social media for more details of the competition including dimensions and templates. FGCG Members will be advised of the competition by email.

If you want to become a Member email us at info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk or sign up here >

DATE FOR THE DIARY // The Big Lunch // 7 June 2015

With the final details of the lease confirmed and the final documentation just weeks away, we can start planning some official events. First up is the Big Lunch on 7 June 2015

The Big Lunch is a nationwide initiative, dreamt up by the Eden Project. The aim is to get as many people as possible across the whole of the UK to have lunch with their neighbours annually on the first Sunday in June in a simple act of community, friendship and fun. Since starting in 2009, thousands of Big Lunches have taken place in all types of communities. In 2014, 4.83 million people took to their streets, gardens and community spaces for the sixth annual Big Lunch.

This year, we're hosting our very first Big Lunch in the Forest Gate Community Garden and we'd love you to come. Rain or shine, we'll be making merry at 136 Earlham Grove and also hope to organise a Play Street on the road outside at the same time.

It should be great fun and is a great way to meet your neighbours and find out what the garden is all about. We also need some volunteers to help with lunch and festivities so if you have some free time on the day, we'd love to hear from you. Just email info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk.

Can't wait to see you there!

LATEST NEWS // We need your spare wood, paving stones, bricks and fencing...

The next phase of the Forest Gate Community Garden is to create the hard landscaping areas including raised beds and the base for the container hub. We are accepting donations of these items on Saturday 9 May when the garden is open to volunteers helping out at our next site clear. 

Here's what we gratefully received at our last delivery from Members of the Steering Group plus the cherry blossom on one side of the garden in glorious bloom.

We also received planters, paving stones and pebbles donated by B and Q last year, tubing, a builder's bag and some guttering. All brilliant resources to help our garden come together.

A big thanks to all involved in donating, delivering, moving and storing goods.

If you have wood, paving stones, bricks or fencing you can donate then we want to hear from you. We will accept these goods on 9 May. Just email info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk to arrange delivery.

EVENTS // Help out at the next FGCG Site Day on 9 May 2015

Want to help clear the Forest Gate Community Garden site, ready for the next phase? Got some spare paving stones, wood, bricks or fencing that you could donate to help us create hard landscaping such as raised beds and a base for our container hub? Join us on 9 May

Sign up for the next chance to get on site at 136 Earlham Grove and help other FGCG Members to clear the last of the rubbish, mend internal fences and move donated materials in, led by Lisa and Rob of the Steering Group.

We're running an afternoon and a morning session and can fit 30 people in per session. You'll need to wear the stoutest shoes you have, gloves if you have them (we'll provide some if you haven't) and bring water. Not suitable for under 16's.

We're also accepting donations of wood, paving stones, fencing and bricks so if you have any of these items please email us and we can arrange to pick up or advise on delivery on 9 May. These items will be used to make raised beds, provide hard surfaces for our container hub and create other hard landscaping.

We need to know numbers for the site day and if you will be donating goods. In both cases please email info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk.

NB If you're not a Member of the FGCG, you can still attend, just sign up to become a Member via our website (link here) or via the email above. Only £2 lifetime Membership to stay in the loop about what's going on!

LATEST NEWS // FGCG Organic Gardening Course now underway, email to check if still availability

A second term of the Forest Gate Community Garden Organic Gardening Course is now underway at the Forest Gate Learning Zone. This term it is help at 7pm on Wednesdays so that more people can attend after work.

The first term was a great success, and by the look of the numbers attending this year already, organic methods of gardening seem to be something lots of people in the area want to learn about.

If you didn't manage to sign up for this batch of sessions but would still like to attend you can check availability at info@forestgate-community-garden.org.uk.

Details about the course can also be found here: http://136earlhamgrove.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/latest-news-join-round-two-of-forest.html

LATEST NEWS // Garden Design Course with FGCG tutor Stephen Mason

Want to know more about Garden Design - how to turn your patch into a stunning vista?

Stephen Mason, who runs the very successful FGCG Organic Gardening Course at the Forest Gate Learning Zone, is running a weekly 2-hour session at his house in Wanstead on Fridays for 10 weeks from 24 April.

Covering basic principles of Garden Design, it will be tailored to the garden design needs of course members. Cost £70 or £7 per session.

Sessions have already begun but you can drop in and drop out or start from week 2. FGCG Members and non-Members welcome.

Contact Stephen for more details on stephen.mason7@googlemail.com