Community Food Growing Project

In 2020 Northern Roots teamed up with Alexandra Park Growing Hub (Oldham Council) to create a new community growing project on the Northern Roots site. The project was initially established to grow fresh fruit and veg for communities across Oldham during the Covid 19 pandemic. High quality local produce is grown on the site by volunteers and then distributed to families and communities in need across Oldham, in partnership with Oldham Foodbank. Volunteers get the opportunity to learn new skills, connect with others, support their health and wellbeing, and make a real difference to the community.

Under the expert supervision of Hub Coordinator Hannah Williams, volunteers have created a small-scale market garden in the ‘no dig’ style. The market garden produces everything from peas, rhubarb and garlic, to potatoes, chard and strawberries! We’re very proud of our volunteers, who’ve transformed a patch of grass into a vibrant and productive growing project, and in doing so, make an incredible contribution to the wider community.

Volunteer this summer

If you’ve got a couple of hours to spare each week, would like to meet new people, learn new skills and contribute to the Community Food Growing Project, or get involved with the Alexandra Park Growing Hub,  get in touch with Hannah Williams at hannah.williams@oldham.gov.uk

You don’t need any experience of growing veg and you’ll learn lots about sowing, planting and creating growing beds in the ‘no dig’ style. You’ll also get to take home a share of the fresh produce you help grow. Sessions are currently running on Monday 1-3pm and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10-12pm.

Get Oldham Growing

Since 2013, Growing Hubs, including Alexandra Park Growing Hub, have been developed across Oldham by Oldham Council in collaboration with local communities and groups like Veg in the Park CIC. Providing community growing space, the Hubs offer volunteering, skills and education opportunities around food growing and sustainability.

When Covid19 struck in March 2020, all available growing space at Alexandra Park Depot – the working heart of Oldham Council’s Environmental Services team – was turned over to growing food for communities hit hard by the pandemic. Growing space at the Depot is normally used to raise 130,000 ornamental bedding plants for use across the borough. In 2020 it was used to grow peppers, salad leaf, potatoes, spring onions – and much more.

The Community Food Growing Project at Northern Roots builds on Oldham Councils remarkable community food growing efforts in 2020. With the help of our fantastic volunteers, the Community Food Growing Project produced 120 veg boxes and 125 veg bags for local communities between July and September 2021.

Veg boxes contained a range of produce including 834 carrots, 74.5 kg potatoes, 22.8 kg cherry tomatoes and 18.6 kg salad leaf!  They also contained Broad Beans, Cabbage, Chard, Courgette, Cucumber, French Beans, Garden Peas, Garlic, Kale, Little Gem Lettuce, Mint, Onions, Rhubarb, Rocket, Runner Beans,  Salad Tomatoes, Spring Onion and Sugar Snap Peas.