Reconnecting with nature and developing health and well-being while working alongside specialists is something many people would like to do these days. Offshoots Community Garden, an enclosed acre tucked away in the historic walled garden of Towneley Hall in Burnley, is just the place!
As well as being a hub for volunteering and community sessions, it is also an educational site with a focus on environmental sustainability. The site is the proud owner of Walter Segal cabin – an ecologically sound, simple timber-frame system with a growing roof heated by a wood burner using sustainable, local wood processed on-site. Learn about gardening for bees to improve pollination and play a part in making local honey thanks to the East Lancashire Beekeepers Association who keep their hives there. There is a kiln for charcoal making, wildlife pond with reed bed, and a forest garden.
If woodwork skills are something you desire, you can join sessions on basic carpentry, joinery and green woodwork (once the world goes back to normal). Learn traditional skills and use hand tools with offcuts of fresh wood from Towneley Park, where the project is based. Benefit from planting and growing organic, seasonal, local food and find out how to do this at home so you can have a cheaper, healthier diet. The goal is to reach and engage with people of all backgrounds in Burnley and the surrounding areas to encourage sustainable and resilient lifestyles.
Did my horticultural education here … no better place on earth for learning xxx