Peace is greatest crop of them all

- 07 June 2007

TREE HOUSE: Andy Inglis, Rob Sambrooks and gardener Stefan King in the willow dome

SOMETHING exciting is beginning to take root in Hainault and more and more people want a "peace" of it.

In the grounds of a 10-acre community garden that is virtually unknown to the rail commuters and residents who pass it every day, an ecological revolution has begun to bloom.

More than 100 people turned up to Forest Farm Peace Garden's open day on Sunday to see just what this new, adventurous project was all about.

For three years, at the bottom of Hazelbrouck Gardens, Hainault, volunteers have been turning a piece of waste land into a peace garden, including vegetable patches, a pond, a willow dome, arts and craft projects, juggling and, nearby, honey producing beehives.

The peace garden was started by American environmental student Joanna Burch Brown, studying for a doctorate at Cambridge University, with an interest in projects involving therapeutic healing for victims of torture.

It was set up to give asylum seekers who have suffered extreme trauma a place to heal and, at the same time, regenerate abandoned allotment sites, dameaged by vandalism and neglect.

Outpatients from Goodmayes Hospital, nd people with learning disabilities also have links with the peace garden.

Volunteer co-ordinator, Stefan King, said: "We want to encourage the local community to get involved with this space.

"We are trying to find out if there would be support for local food initiatives. In the future, we are looking to set up an organic box scheme where people would buy a box of vegetables grown here every week.

"To do that we would need to tie in with other growers in the area, possibly with Lambourne End, Wellgate Community Farm and Berkeley Farm.

"The main focus is about addressing issues of climate change and the peak oil crisis. Rather than waiting for it to happen, we are actually trying to prepare for the transition now and try and encourage people away from the supermarkets."

All year around, even on the coldest and gloomiest days of the year, volunteers have been turning up at the garden to grow vegetables.

But the site isn't just a standard allotment plot. It is home to all sorts of creative skills and everything, from the multicoloured gates to the pond and willow dome, have been crafted with care.

Jill Howard, 29, from Waltham Forest, is a regular volunteer.

She said: "I often turn up when there are arts or crafts projects running, like today we are making mosaic tables.

"In the summer, we all camp out around the fire. Sometimes, if it is really nice, we just sleep out under the stars.

"It is so beautiful here. I have never seen any rats, but actually someone did mention that they saw one this morning.

"The peace garden is brilliant because so many different groups come here. I love the fact that there is so much diversity."

Emily Elliot, eight, was helping Jill with the mosaic table.

"I come here with my mum and my brother," she said. "I like coming here to do art work."

The site, which neighbours an apiary and a dovecote, has access to running water, but is still waiting for electricity to be installed.

For now, gardeners have to make do with the camp fire and barbecue that cooked the sausages and soup for the open day.

Celia Minoughan, chairman of the Forest Farm Peace Garden, who lives in Elmcroft Avenue, Wanstead, said such days were a regular occurrence.

"In the winter, we have tree planting days," said Celia, who first went along to the garden as a volunteer one year ago.

"We also hold activity days throughout the year."

As the sun began to set on Sunday, people began to make their way along the windy paths through the garden and back home.

Although there was much to see from the past three years' work, there is still so much more to be done.