The Hub was facing significant challenges. Although we had seedlings, seeds, space, and big dreams, bureaucracy and political gatekeepers were holding us back. While these obstacles are still present, we are determined to overcome them. Financially, we had resources to invest in our desire for planters and plants.
To move forward, we requested quotes to build four planters from a local group that we believed was knowledgeable about community planter construction. However, the local volunteers who provided the quotation insisted on procuring new sleepers from a building supplier or timber merchant, which we felt were extremely expensive.
Upon reviewing the costs, both financially and environmentally, we found these prices to be excessive. We take great pride in our numerous zero-waste initiatives, and investing in new sleepers seemed to contradict our values and principles. Consequently, we sought alternatives that would not require us to purchase brand new materials from a timber supply merchant.
During our search for solutions, we discovered cheaper, environmentally-friendly options made from upcycled waste and the hard work of volunteers. As an organisation, we already had experience sourcing various upcycled materials locally from community donations, such as garden wood decking destined for landfill, windows, doors, and pallets. Buying brand new sleepers felt wasteful to us.
The procurement management team contacted the District Council to inquire about the availability of used wood for upcycling or to see if they could connect us with a supplier willing to provide quality building materials at a charity discount. We were pleasantly surprised by the support of the District Council, which often receives unjust criticism. They deserve applause for their contributions to community assets.
The council's main contractor, Jewsons, generously agreed to donate proper timber sleepers, allowing us to construct the four planters as originally designed. We were astounded by this generosity and gratefully accepted the donation, realizing that we could use these high-quality sleepers for more than just the initial four planters.
We have begun the work, creating some planters entirely from upcycled wood, saved from landfill by dedicated volunteers, or donated by local individuals who no longer needed them. Additionally, we have sourced tools and building materials, including upcycled screws. With these donated resources, we have started building remarkable community planting projects, transitioning from monoculture grass playing fields to permaculture gardens of flourishing beauty.
We also found some old tyres behind a hut in the westwing, we are using these as corners for the planters, and aim to grow potatoes in them, the long planter at the front has some of our sunflowers and turnips in it. Which are growing nicely now, but we need to extend this, with an aim to grow a biological fence eventually, but for this year a wall of sunflowers
The seeds are planted, and good things are growing. We are proud to be pioneers in this groundbreaking initiative, with amazing developments underway!
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