Q&A: Local waste-free champ heralds 50th with community garden

Monday 02 November 2020

A local blogger and waste-free champion is putting nature and sustainability at the heart of her 50th birthday celebrations - by setting up a community garden.

Set in a small field at Brook Farm, a National Trust for Jersey property, the new 'Community Food Wood' will be a place for islanders to connect with nature, grow food to enjoy, and provide a safe haven for bees and other pollinating insects.

Pictured: The new community space is located at Brook Farm, a National Trust for Jersey property near Maufant village. 

Ahead of her birthday celebrations today, Express caught up with Sheena Brockie, the blogger behind The Good Jersey Life, to learn more...

What is a Community Food Wood and how does it work?

The Community Food Wood is designed to be a community space with the added benefit of providing a connection to nature, a safe haven for pollinating insects and, ultimately, food for the community to enjoy.

We have been offered the use of a small field at the edge of Maufant Village by The National Trust for Jersey. It’s traditional for farms to have orchards, but our community Food Wood plans to go way beyond just an orchard, by including both fruit and nut trees within the planting, then underplanting the trees with fruit bushes for berries, strawberries, rhubarb, herbs and pollinator friendly flowers.

Pictured: A small management team has already got started on the project, and the public are encouraged to get involved. 

We have a very small management team who take legal responsibility for the land and it’s management, but the Food Wood is open to any member of the public who would like to get involved; whether that’s in the form of planting trees, picking and preserving the produce, learning about the local biodiversity, or just coming to sit quietly and reconnect to nature. It’s a space for everyone.

When did you first hear about the idea?

I’ve looked at lots of community garden concepts, and I’m really keen on permaculture so the idea for a community food wood came from a mixture of both of these concepts. One of the requirements of the space we have been offered is that it’s set out like a traditional orchard, and can revert to one in the future If the community interest wanes. So the plan is to maximise what we can grow within that remit.

The long term plan is to have a community permaculture garden or Food Wood in each of the parishes, a blueprint for other community spaces throughout the island.

What prompted you to set one up in Jersey?

On Halloween this year I turn 50 years old. I knew I wanted to celebrate, but not in the traditional way. I wanted to celebrate in a way that resonated with me as a person - in a way that included nature, sustainability and community at its heart. And this is what I came up with.

Pictured: The next step is to find sponsors to fund the purchase of fruit and nut trees and bushes to set up the wood. 

Why do you think it will be good for the island?

When covid first hit us earlier in the year the two lasting memories I have were the palpable worry over food security and the immense community spirit. This project aims to harness both.

I think it’s really important that we reconnect people back to nature, to the basic awe and wonder in nature; dappled sunlight through autumn leaves; the sound of busy bees nestled in a flow bed; the draw of a wave through pebbles; the earthy smell of the forest floor after the rain.

The more we connect people to nature, the more they will benefit from the mental health benefits of being outside and physically active in nature. The more we connect people to nature the more likely they are to want to preserve it - to be more sustainable both at home and in their working practices.

What do you need to establish it?

We have the land and we have the community. Our next step is to find a sponsor(s) to fund the purchase of the fruit and nut trees and bushes to enable us to set up the Community Food Wood.

There are four phases to the food wood. Phase 1 was purchase and planting of hedgerow whips in part of the boundary. This was carried out earlier this year with the help of the Prince’s Trust. Phase 2 is the purchase of 25 fruit and nut trees and 9 hazel whips. Phase 3 is the purchase of 20 fruit bushes to underplant the fruit and nut trees. Phase 4 is the final layer of underplanting - herbs and pollinator-friendly plants.

Ideally we would love to find a sponsor to fund the whole project, but there is also the potential for several sponsors to fund the separate phases. Alternatively we would look to the community to fund it by creating a wish list of trees and bushes and ask islanders if they might like to purchase one for the benefit of island wildlife and human communities.

Are you looking for volunteers?

To make the community food wood work we need a thriving community - a group of people who would be keen to use the space. Whether that’s a person who would be keen to help plant up the food wood, mow the grass path, weed or water - or someone who is just seeking a little pocket of nature to sit quietly in. We need to find our tribe. We’d really like to hear from more people who would love to use the space, in any capacity.

We have set up a dedicated Facebook Page for the project - Brook Farm Community Food Wood. Please come and join the online community as we plan out the Food Wood.