The Guille-Allès Library have teamed up with local charity, the Pollinator Project, and HSBC, to promote a new ‘Seed Library’.
The free resource allows people to exchange seeds for use in their gardens.
The initiative encourages sustainable gardening practices by enabling people to share and reuse seeds instead of buying new packets, said Abi Paine, Communications Officer at the Guille-Allès Library.
“The Seed Library has been a popular addition to our service in recent years. It’s a great way for the community to experience the joy of growing their own, and this new collaboration helps ensure that the seed drawers are always topped up so that more people can sow, grow, save and share!
“We’re very pleased to be teaming up with the Pollinator Project and HSBC, and we’re extremely grateful for their support of the Seed Library.”
The Seed Library provides free access to a variety of seeds, helping to foster a sense of community, and support environmentally friendly gardening. It’s a cost-effective way to start or expand a garden, particularly with pollinator-friendly plants. In doing so it will also help pollinating species, which are ‘keystone species’, essentially they help hold ecosystems together by supporting plant reproduction and plant diversity.
Gordon Steele, is the Chair of the Pollinator Project, a charity dedicated to helping secure the future of the Bailiwick pollinating species.
“It’s a great idea that the library has been running for a little while now,” he said.
“We really like being able to donate not just leftover seeds, but those that we have collected ourselves.
“Some of the best pollinator friendly plants like foxgloves, teasels, verbena, even coriander produce lovely flowers and the seeds are easy to collect. So, we’ve donated them to the Seed Library.
“Anyone can go in and take what they need and to get started. Best thing is its free and sustainable. HSBC recognised this when they were looking for a campaign to engage members of staff and they’ve started collecting seeds too”.
The bank and financial group has gone so far as placing seed collection boxes in their offices and branches, to help bolster the selection available in St. Peter Port, said Mike Fogarty, Relationship Manager at HSBC.
“We were very happy to support this local initiative and it was something our team in Guernsey really got behind. We’ve put seed collection boxes in our offices and are extending that to branches so everyone can donate”.
You can learn more about the Guille-Allès Library on their website HERE, and the Pollinator Project HERE.