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O’Donovan’s Hotel on Monday 16th November at 8 pm.
This is a not for profit, national organisation and everyone interested in growing their own fruit and vegetables, whether just starting, or experienced, is very welcome to attend, share their experiences and learn from others. The plan is to meet monthly, listen to a speaker and exchange ideas, tips and maybe plants and produce. The first speaker will be well known author and gardening guru Joy Larkcom.
This organisation is entirely separate from Sustainable Clonakilty, but its aims of encouraging everyone to grow some of his or her own food line up with our own aims, so we support GIY and encourage you to do so too.
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29 October 2009
Steiner Kindergarten is overall winner of this
year’s local
Community Garden Awards
Reporter: Liam Liao
On Saturday 17th October, the Steiner Kindergarten won the
main prize at the inaugural Sustainable Clonakilty Local Food Group, Community
Garden Awards.
There was close competition between the Steiner
kindergarten, St Joseph’s National School, Scoil na mBuachailli , Gaelscoil
Chloich na Gcoillte and Clonakilty Lodge.
The Community Garden Awards were held at the Clonakilty
Methodist church hall, which was decorated with photographs, taken at various
times throughout the summer, of the participants’ hard work.
All participants received a vegetable growing calendar and
all the schools received a book about growing vegetables throughout the school
year.
‘I am re-inspired to go back to my school and double our
efforts,’ enthused Serena Corcoran, a teacher at the Gaelscoil.
The overall winner, the Steiner Kindergarten, also received
a mini plastic greenhouse and a mushroom growing kit donated by Hosfords
Garden Centre. The Clonakilty
Lodge received a special prize of a gardening book, donated by Kerrie Liao, for
their good use of resources and minimal budget. A book donated by Joy Larkcom
was given to Parc a Tobair in recognition of the inspiring growing course for
beginners they ran this year.
Jennifer Sleeman, who set up the Local Food Group was,
‘thrilled with how successful the Community Gardens project had been, and in
particular the Parc A Tobair course, which benefited the participants in
unexpected ways.’
The hall, with a pleasing number of children present, was
buzzing with excitement and conversation before the announcements, and the
convivial atmosphere continued afterwards with tea and delicious cakes.
In order to support existing community gardening projects in Clonakilty as well as encourage new community-run, food-producing gardens to be set up, the 'Clonakilty Community Garden Awards' scheme was presented at a public meeting on Saturday, March 28 at 2pm in O’Donovan’s Hotel. Interested community groups and individuals are invited to attend and to participate in the initiative. Community gardens can be created and maintained by any group of local people, i.e. schools, colleges, hospitals and care facilities, residents’ associations and other community groups who come together to grow, harvest and enjoy their own produce.
