Support For Wigan Arrival Project - Community Garden Makeover

Sheba Arts got in touch with us in July for a quick turnout garden revamp at SWAP, Support for Wigan Arrivals Project. They were planning a big party at the end of the month to celebrate their Wigan project and wanted the garden to be done by then.  I was personally excited to work on this project, as I had volunteered at SWAP for few years when I was younger, and know just how vital the work they do is. 

Many families use the centre, but they couldn’t go out in the back garden because of the many brambles and bits of old rubbish everywhere. So, we came up with a plan together and got to work quickly – there were only a few weeks to complete the entire job. 

The aim was to create a welcoming, colourful green space with areas for everyone to relax, a space to eat together or participate in activities, and a space for kids to play. 

Watch our Reel for the full process video

Some of the people who attend SWAP got started first, weeding loads of the pavement and shifting a skip’s worth of old things that had accumulated over the years. It was a great start and really helped!

 

We opted for a no-dig approach to the large raised bed to be more environmentally friendly, as digging releases carbon into the air and also brings oxygen to the soil and seeds to the surface. This is also a good method to save time on tons of wedding work if you plan well. 

Everyone started collecting cardboard and laying it down as we designed the new border and bought all the plants, along with some new tools and equipment (to ensure they can garden later down the line). Between everyone’s work, by the time action week came, we were ready to hit the ground running.

A few volunteers from the centre & GIAG, along with Magda and Anoushka from Sheba Arts, joined us over three days to get everything sorted. They painted the fence, trellis, and shed while we got on with the gardening work. 

The border design was chosen for its seasonal, vibrant colours, featuring a mix of mostly perennials, evergreens, and herbaceous plants. We also selected plants that are fairly drought-tolerant to reduce upkeep and last longer in these hot summers, so it should last for years to come. There are also a few spots where we will add bulbs later in the year. We also filled two containers on the other side with evergreen climbers for the newly painted trellis and shade-tolerant plants. 

On day 2, it absolutely poured with rain, but that didn’t deter Ali & I, we kept planting away. However, we did get fairly muddy! In the afternoon, it cleared up, and we were joined by many helping hands. We got loads of planting done and added a thick layer of compost over it all.

On the last day, we tidied up all the remaining bits, weeded the paving further, completed the last bit of planting, and donated a kids’ slide for the play area, as well as a kids’ watering can. 

It was a good graft! We did it in time, massive thanks to everyone who joined us during action week and the weeks before. They are over the moon, and I hope everyone can enjoy this space for years to come. Hopefully, we’ll be back over the next year to do fun workshops and get the kids involved in planting. 

Thanks so much to Sheba Arts and SWAP for inviting us to be involved in this project, it was a privilege.

We loved this project. If you have a community garden in the Wigan area that needs a revamp or some fresh ideas, get in touch with us and we’ll see how we can help.