End of Year Celebration!

We, at Transition Town Tooting, want to extend a genuine invitation to an end of year celebration on Wednesday 18th December at The Selkirk Pub in Tooting, from 7.30pm.

Don't know about you, but recognising the projects and partnerships we've had over the last 12 months and celebrating the work we do together to make our area more resilient, more community minded and more sustainable is so incredibly vital. I feel a deep need for celebration, particularly looking forward to what will be a massive year in 2020 and beyond. 

Come along if you can and spread the invitation out. Hats off to every one of you who have got involved this year, i whatever way! Amongst many other projects, we'll be raising a glass to...

• A Wild Place for Nature at Ravenstone Primary School, Balham! 
• Balham and Tooting Community Association and all the brilliant work it does, including the Community Heroes awards, Funday and the Peace Ceremony.
• Getting to know XR Wandsworth and looking forward to meeting and working together more in 2020. What energy XR bring! Not 1, but 2 major protests for climate in the Spring and Autumn. 
• A mobilised youth action in school strikes provoking productive in-school sessions, working alongside our great Teachers. 
• The emergence of a green new deal as an ideology and approach to jobs and economy, pushing politics forwards. 
• Events at Tooting Community Garden and Ravenstone Primary School as part of London becoming the worlds first National Park City. 
• A year of Green Drinks bringing diverse conversation on climate into the community. 
• The unanimous declaration of Climate Emergency at Wandsworth Borough Council, catalysed by the 10,000 petition of local voices encouraging the Council to declare... well, over 12,000 signatories actually... 
•  Tooting Bec and Broadway Neighbourhood Plan and the emergence of Tooting Healthy Streets making the case for more liveable streets and sustainable development ion Tooting. 
• Tooting Foodival bringing together well over 1000 people to celebrate locally grown, cooked and eaten veggie food! 
• New connections around Wellbeing to spring us into 2020 with "Come Together" wellbeing day in Tooting on Jan 4th. 
• XR Wandsworth's wonderful Woolly Mammoth... 
• Tooting Restart/Sewstart repair Parties! 
• Little Village - wow, you blow my mind! The massive role you played in Culture Declares Climate and Ecological Emergency! Not to mention the London wide (and beyond)
• Pop-Up Tomorrow at Battersea Arts Centre's Grand Hall, Tooting-on-Tour indeed. Bring Your Own! Tooting's part in the waste free revolution!

What have I missed? Of course I've missed loads, but even that bunch of projects is breathtaking, do come if you can, even for half an hour! Here's the Facebook event with all the details. 7.30-10pm, Selkirk Pub, Wednesday 18th December. See you there and have a wonderful break, when you get to it, 

Much love, 

Richard & the Transition Town Tooting gang!

Call for Climate Emergency Hustings in Tooting

We are calling for Climate Emergency Hustings for Tooting on Tuesday 10 December in a joint effort between TTT & Extinction Rebellion Wandsworth, supported by our colleagues at the Wandsworth Cycling Campaign, and Wandsworth Living Streets. The date is not yet agreed with all candidates but we hope to host it at Mushkil Aasaan, just 2 days before the polls.

On 1 May the UK Parliament declared a Climate Emergency. By the end of the next Parliament we will be halfway through the 12 year time period that the IPCC declared to be critical if we are serious about preventing the worst outcomes of climate change. 

A recent Opinium poll showed that almost two thirds of the population say that the ecological and climate emergency is the biggest issue facing humankind, and 54% of all voters now say that climate change would affect how they would vote, rising to 74% for under-25s. Tooting voters need to know what our elected representatives would do in government to tackle the climate emergency which we believe to be by far the most important issue in next month's election. Brexit will be long forgotten squabble in the future, the climate will not.

Just for an interesting reality check, this map, taken from Climate Central’s report Flooded Future (October 2019) shows Wandsworth’s likely vulnerability to climate-related sea level rise by 2050. The red areas show the land projected to be below the annual flood level by that date.

Climate Emergency Hustings

For those of us in North Tooting (aka Battersea) there are Climate Emergency Hustings tomorrow hosted by journalist Michael Crick. It would be great to do something similar in Tooting constituency.

Film Showing of Tomorrow, Today

This afternoon's film showing of Tomorrow (Demain) provides a comprehensive look at ways in which activists, organisers and everyday citizens are trying to make the world a better, greener, more sustainable place.

All welcome for 2.30 pm at All Saints Church Tooting, Brudenell Rd SW17 8DQ.

Calling out for local fixers and menders!

Our regular fixing and mending workshop - Restart/Sewstart - has been getting more and more popular lately.

Whether it’s broken electrical or electronic items that people don’t want to throw away - a favourite bit of clothing or a bags that needs altering or mending - or a sewing machine that someone isn't sure how to use - more and more people are keen to fix things rather than throw them away.   Our September session had more than twice as many objects bought along to fix - check out all the happy people who were helped out by our volunteers!

But our growing popularity means we need more local fixers!

We'd love to find more people locally who'd like to join in.

Do you know someone who loves tinkering with things and making them work again?  Or someone who is handy with a sewing machine or a needle and thread and would be happy to share their skills?  

Do encourage them to come along and say hello at our next session  or email us for more information transitiontowntooting@gmail.com

13.30 - 16.30 on 30th November
Mushkil Aasaan, 220 - 222 Upper Tooting Road, SW17 7EW (next to Nando’s)   

We get lots of support from our partners The Restart Party with online resources and workshops - and we offer lots of thanks and cups of tea and biscuits on the day!

Restart Parties are a community self-repair space where you take responsibility for your own gadgets and data, so please don’t forget to take any back-ups beforehand, if relevant – and if possible arrive during the first two hours to allow time for fixing! 

More info about Restart including details of regular skillshares at www,therestartproject.org)
More about Transition at www.transtiontowntooting.org, on twitter @tttooting or email us at transitiontowntooting@gmail.com

Tomorrow - the movie - comes to Tooting!

We face a climate emergency - but all over the globe, solutions already exist! 

Join Transition Town Tooting for TOMORROW, our first Film for Action 

with All Saints Church Tooting, Brudenell Rd SW17 8DQ
2.30 pm on 16th November 2019

 

Tomorrow (Demain) provides a comprehensive look at ways in which activists, organisers and everyday citizens are trying to make the world a better, greener, more sustainable place.

Check out the trailer for the film!

'The overriding message? It takes a community to make change.'
New York Times

TTT Makes the Guardian in Rob Hopkins Article

TTT is pleased to be included in today's Guardian newspaper article featuring Rob Hopkins' new book What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create The Future We Want 

The paper version of today's Guardian

Well done to media mogul Mal for getting some photos sent over in the nick of time featuring the Community Garden, Tooting Twirl and Foodival. The article also references our regular Restart repair cafes.

The online version HERE has a great photo from last month's Foodival courtesy I think of Franco Ruarte. Other TTT pics are featured in the paper version above. Thanks to Simon Maggs, Jenny Teasdale, Bryony Williams and David Thorne for these!

Rob is running an event at Batersea Arts Centre with help from TTT's Lucy Neal entitled Pop-Up Tomorrow (click thru for tickets) which invites you to "step into an imagined future to collectively vision, playfully build and then physically inhabit a 3D vision of a Zero Carbon Britain in 2030".

Meanwhile don't forget tonight's talk with Resina and Belinda on Ecobricking at Tooting Green Drinks. All welcome to the Selkirk Pub SW17 0ES for 7.30pm

In Tooting This Week ...

Tomorrow, Weds 9th, we have a Tooting Green Drinks on Ecobricking at The Selkirk pub 7.30 - 10pm

On Thurs 10th we have a Foodival Debrief at Mushkil Aasaan 7.00. All welcome to give feedback on this year's event or help plan the next one.

And on Sat 12th there is a meeting re TTT Governance at Ravenstone Primary School Balham (probably but TBC)

Come along to any of these to find out more about TTT.

Extinction Rebellion Back On The Streets

Extinction Rebellion is back on the streets, this afternoon peacefully blockading much of Westminster including the bridge, Parliament Sq, Whitehall and the Mall. Some fabulous creativity was in evidence in the outfits and signs people had put together.

XR Wandsworth is based at The Future Is Here site in the Mall - full briefing on how to get involved HERE while the Map below shows where XR action will be focussed. 

 

This inspring non-violent mass protest is well worth a visit or if you can get more involved the XR site has details of the actions in London and worldwide.  

THERE IS NO PLANET B

Foodival 2019: "I Grew This"

Most of this year's Tooting Foodival growers are here immortalised in the traditional I Grew This montage!

Thank Yous for Foodival 2019

Thanks everyone for creating a memorable Tooting Foodival No.12 last weekend. We hope we have not forgotten anyone!

Venue Hosts:
Naseem & Mushkil Aasaan thank you as ever for the provision of your special community space for us
Brian & BJ Hardware, thank you for the use of your yard, power and handyman skills!
Residents of Hereward Rd thanks for lending us your streetscape for the day

Volker, Sarah & Isla preparing vegetables

Donors:
David & Malsara, Ramsden Rd: marrows, tomatoes, sage, rocket, thyme, oregano, mint, St John's Wort
Ben, Endlesham Rd: many cooking apples
Rod & Jane, Streatham: apples
Sarah, Balham Park Rd: beetroot, carrots, tomatoes, borlotti beans
Chuck, Becky & Becky, Kay, Ryan, Katherine, Rosalind, Anuja & all at Tooting Community Garden: Picasso potatoes, pumpkin, tomatoes, leek, garlic, cucamelon, Jerusalem artichoke, herbs, pattypan squash, runner beans, kale
Susie & Mike, Earlsfield: tomatoes, snake squash, butternut squash
Maggie, Burntwood Lane: mint & nasturtiums
Debbie, Nimrod Rd, Charlotte potatoes, apples, Gris de Provence and Dinizza squashes, rhubarb, courgette, leeks, apples, potatoes
Becky, Tooting High St, carrots
Kath, Garratt Park alloments: 2 wonky courgettes, runner beans, rainbow chard
Lea, Price Close: salad greens, chilli, tomatoes, cavello nero
Rachel, Ruislip Close: baby peppers, aubergines, cucamelons, courgettes, cucumbers, beetroot, chillis
Jenny, Larry, Erin & Harley, Moffatt Rd, apples
Poppy & Teo, Streatham: tomatoes and beans
Elisabetta, Dahomey Rd: apples, chard, beetroot, carrots, beans
Hilary, Trevelyan Rd: plums
Fio, Dahomey Rd: apples
Jane, Tamworth Allotments: marrow, cucumber, courgette
Ian, Cotefford St: cucumbers, apples
Rose, Balham: bay leaves
Libby, Tamworth allotment: apples
Nikki, Tooting: potatoes, apples

Special thanks to local not-for-profit veg supplier Local Greens who donated butternut squash, courgettes, onions and potatoes.

Emily and Annette front of house

Chefs
Volker of Essential Ingredient for co-ordinating cooking in the street with help from local chefs Manisha from Pooja, Rick of Rick's Dining Room, Elisabetta from Minestra and gluten-free chef Sarah.

Volunteers
Richard, Sharon, Hilary, Ben, Jenny, Mita, Emily, Annette, Larry, Millie & Lewis.


Tooting Community Garden Team
Anuja, Barbara, Becky H, Becky K, Katherine, Kay, Rosalind & Ryan.

Creative Activities Team
Annie, Chuck, Nicola, Nikki, Matt, Paul & May from Butterfly Conservation. Beata & Think Outside tucked in with us.
Enterprises who were donors to the creative activities included Brindisa, Flashmat, Get Juiced, Milk & Work & Play Scrapstore.

Everyone who spoke on the Soap Box with special thanks to Mermaid Jasmine for her eye-catching performance and ocean plastics talks. Also special thanks to Millie & Erin for their help with the creative activities & their impromptu speeches. 

Kay and Ryan hosting the Community Garden Table

Top Tooting Cook
Thank you Sophie @thecornerplot for co-ordinating and judging with co judges Sarah and Mark. And thanks to all those who entered the competition!

Music
Thanks to Dermot for co-ordinating his meltdown and to his support team of Stave, Howard and Tye. To all the performers including Dermot himself, Resina Chowdhury, Natyalaya Academy of Tamil Art, Dan Caleb, Friend's Circle Group, Ranjit's Karaoke, Vincent Burke, Pensa & Reid, Georgia Maria, The Troubadors de L'Avenue Verte and Alex Wonderland  

Photographers Bryony & Franco, the latter taking all images in this post.

Logistics
St Anselm's Catholic Primary School for gazebos, Volker & Charlie's Catering Hire for catering equipment, Furzedown Network for the PA, Miss U Stationers for printing, The Phantom Knitter for the Foodival banner and Jane for knitting an edit to show this year's date!

Thanks also to all stall holders and Foodival visitors who made this a memorable day in the sun.

Love from the organisers, see you in 2020!

Chuck, David, Mal and Volker

Foodival Continues ... Thank You Donors!

Thank you to everyone who donated fruit and vegetables last night. We seem to be doing well for apples, but could do with more squash! 

Head down to Hereward Rd off Tooting High St, by Mushkil Aasaan (see map) from 11-5 TODAY to see what our chefs cook up, tuck into the Community Feast, enjoy the music, stalls and creative spaces at Tooting's sustainable food festival. Late entrants to Top Tooting Cook accepted!

Foodival features ...

A Grower 2018

This year's Tooting Foodival includes some new features alongside some familar favourites. We start this coming Friday evening with donations of fruit and vegetables from local growers. Can you spare anything from your allotment, window box or garden? These donations are used by our chefs to cook up a great sustainable feast in the Hereward Rd on Saturday 14th.

Here's where to find the Foodival

The Top Tooting Cook Competition is an annual keenly fought tussle between local cooks to rustle up the best home made locally sourced dish. Follow the link to find out how to enter.

This year we have several special guests including May Webber from Butterfly Conservation and Ocean Plastic Warrior Mermaid Jasmine Seales. Don't miss the chance to catch a selfie in a sea shell!

Of course we have a good array of sustainable and foodie stalls plus a long rosta of dance and music action via Dermot's Meltdown.
In a late change to the running order we expect to hear Dermot himself opening the show with his eclectic trug of homegrown songs and lovingly plucked instrumental covers!

So we look forward to seeing you this Saturday for what should be a great event. Friday evening for the much needed produce donations at Mushkil Aasaan 222 Upper Tooting Rd, SW17 7EW.

A full schedule of events will be posted shortly.

Dermot's Meltdown at Foodival 2019

As ever we present a diverse range of local musicians and dancers at this year's Foodival. Dermot's 2nd Meltdown includes some familiar faces from Foodivals past and a few performers new to the Tooting streets. There may be one or two surprise additions before Saturday, but see below for details of who is confirmed so far.

Dan Caleb

Dan Caleb is a "London-based hyphen-loving alt-folk singer-songwriter" who performs solo. For more see Facebook, @dancalebmusic Spotify,  Video , Live Performance.

"Friends Music Circle" are Praful Gajjar, Ranjit Patel, and Hitesh Vyasa, a group with over 40 years experience of playing and singing a variety of Bollywood and fusion music. 

Ranjit from the Friends Music Circle will also be treating us to some of his renowned Karaoke.

Georgia Maria

Georgia Maria is a "Turbocharged acoustic-rocker let loose on London's live circuit. Powerful, darkly poetic modern rock. And Tool covers". See You Tube & Facebook

Local children from "NATYALAYA" Academy of Tamil Arts will be performing two cultural dances, the children will be a aged between 6 and 15 years

Performing a mix of well-known classics and some original material, Pensa & Read are a local Furzedown duo offering a taste of what Simon & Garfunkel might have sounded like if they were the severely overtired parents of 4 small children. Giles Read has plenty of Foodival pedigree, running the festival several times in its early years.

Resina Chowdhury

Usually seen as part of local blues-rock band we're being treated to Resina the solo artist today!

Troubadours de L'Avenue Verte

The 'Troubs' will play Irish, Disco, and Rhythm and Blues, in an unamplified set – just as they do when on tour: they travel by bicycle and carry their entire tour rig with them: which is their instruments, voices and personalities. Their M.O is to turn up at a local bar or cafe, turn out a tune and and if it goes down well they'll play some more, if not they're on to the next spot...feel free to join them and - if the spirit moves you - join in!

Vincent Burke

Vincent played Latitude Festival for the second time this Summer. His music seeks to be both melodic and not-stupid in the word department. The live band now contains the tasty added ingredients of Paul on double-bass, and Jawad on percussion. 

The debut Album ‘Over here in the Trees’ came out this year on Bandcamp and shook the Earth to its very foundations, but while Vincent's feet may be in the gutter his soul rides tempestuously on the stars.

#createfoodival

There's a lot to share about all that's happening at the Tooting Foodival on 14th September, so we'll cover all of these in separate blog posts.

We hope you enjoy the info about our creative offer for adults and young people. All invited to our base in the large yard part way down Hereward Road.

Here's your invitation 

to a diverse 6 hours of creativity:

Our schedule:

11:00-12:30 We'll be micro-observing with Annie, Nikki & Chuck using magnifying glasses and a microscope, drawing and creating the first small worlds which we'll post on Instagram with the hashtag #createfoodival. We started with posting a first example today - have a look.
We can't wait to encourage visitors to be drawn to nature!
We'll continue these activities all day in parallel with the timed special sessions below.

12:30-1:30 We welcome May Webber from the UK national charity Butterfly Conservation
May will bring specimens of insects for us to explore with the help of her expertise and enthusiasm. With May and Nicola we'll draw and realise that what's good for insects in London is also good for people.
MAYBE we will be able to run moth-trapping locally on Friday night, and bring the catch in unharmed to observe and draw.

1:30-3:00 Nikki and Matt will be creating Microbrellas - our spin-off from this spring's Jellybrella project which created big jellyfish-sculptures using scrap umbrellas and linked sea life with ocean plastics.

Making beautiful detailed microbrellas also aims to highlight how minute nano-plastics in the oceans are as damaging pollution challenge as large-scale waste.


We may have a visit from Jasmine the Mermaid and her stop ocean plastics campaign!


3:00-4:30 Paul will lead us to create easy-to-use small home planters out of re-purposed materials. You can take these home and keep growing fresh food this autumn.

All day Think Outside will join us in the creative yard with excellent outdoor learning activities complementary to #createfoodival - thanks for joining us, Beata & Think Outside

We'll display what you make on this inspiring sea turtle table made by Jamie Pattinson - it's a wonderful object with a plastic waste message.

The #createfoodival facilitators look forward 

to seeing you on the 14th from 11:00 to 5:00. 

And there's all the rest 

of the Foodival to enjoy, too!

Vegetables, fruit, creativity....

The Tooting Foodival on 14th Sept would love and appreciate your veg and your fruit to help us co-create our low food-miles community feast! 
You can donate produce on the day or the evening before - from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Mushkil Aasaan (SW17 7EW). When you see the range and quality of what grows locally, you'll be amazed! Thanks so much for any contribution you can share - simple or exotic, small or large. 
Here are some examples from recent years, starting with Tooting tomatoes picked in the heat last Sunday (they'll last until the 14th if we make them into sauce).

How will you feed your imagination at the Tooting Foodival? The Foodival mixes sustainability, food, growing, fun, wellbeing and reducing waste. We're going to offer an activity which will inspire you to be creative: all ages welcome. We'll have fruit peel from Tooting's juice bars, Foodival veg scraps, beautiful saved-from-waste materials from Work and Play Scrapstore - South London and Wandsworth Oasis and stories from our Jellybrella project to help you create playful magical micro worlds. We'll tag photos of what you make on Instagram at #createfoodival and once you start creating, you'll see the potential for imaginative re-use everywhere! 

Make a Microbrella

Enjoy our examples in the photos - subtle objects of mystery and fascination! We look forward to what's dreamed up on Sept 14th. As well as creative activities there's the main event: community cooking and the shared feast. Plus live bands, the soap box, boutique stalls and much more...for free! 

Sophie Rushton-Smith To Run TTC

We are delighted to announce that Sophie Rushton-Smith from The Corner Plot will be coordinating this year's Top Tooting Cook Competition at Foodival on the 14 September. 

Sophie was Top Tooting Cook in 2015

In 2015 Sophie won the prestigious TTC award for her use of locally grown vegetables to make a delicious colourful roast vegetable medley. 

Who will be this year's Top Tooting Cook? Could It Be YOU?

There are lots of lovely prizes to be won. Want to take up the challenge? 

See here for TTC FAQs and the 2019 Registration form.

Email transitiontowntooting@gmail.com with any queries.

Three weeks to Tooting Foodival 2019!

This year’s Tooting Foodival is only three weeks away! 

Our annual sustainable food celebration takes place in central Tooting between 11am and 5pm on Saturday 14th September. We will close half of Hereward Rd and fill the street with cooking activities, stalls showcasing local products and organisations, creative activities, music and soap box talks. 

The premise of Foodival as ever is that we seek donations of fruit and vegetables from local growers that will be cooked up by local Tooting chefs and served to you, the hungry public, as the central part of our street festival. We seek to show that you don’t need to import food from miles away; you can enjoy sustainable locally grown low food mile delicious fare right here in SW17. 

I Grew This!

We collect donations of fruit and vegetables the evening before (Friday 13th September, this year) where we also hope to immortalise each of our growers in the now famous “I Grew This” photos. This is also the time when prospective entrants to the Top Tooting Cook Competition can pick up produce to conjure a prize winning dish for the following day’s competition. There will be some great prizes! 


If you would like to get involved there are several possible ways to do so: 

1) Are you growing any vegetables or fruit that you could donate? We would be ever so grateful, as Foodival only happens due to home grown produce. 

2) Would you like to help out on the day? We have a reliable team but can always do with a hand from anyone who wants to get involved in some random community fun! 

3) Do you fancy entering the Top Tooting Cook Competition? What is your speciality dish that will wow the judges? Or would you like to be a judge? Here is all the TTC info you need: details of the TTC and the registration form. Good luck and we look forward to what you make!

4) Do you have something to say... about food, sustainability, plastics or anything a bit related? You could book yourself a spot on the Soap Box! 

Whatever, contact us on transitiontowntooting@gmail.com to find out more, check us out on Instragram @tootingfoodival or on facebook

We look forward to celebrating local food and local cooking with you on the streets of Tooting in September!

Growing Community across London - Part 2

Our previous blog post describes Growing Community Part 1 - and to recap in the last week of July our long-planned collaboration between Ravenstone School and Tooting Community Garden offered two interlinked local 'Growing Community in the Heart of the City' workshops as part of The Mayor of London's National Park City Festival

The common green thread running through both events was celebrating city growing and the outdoors, creating an environment which is good for ourselves, for the community and for nature.




Blog post Part 1 describes the Ravenstone School event on July 22.
Here we're sharing what we did together in the second of the two events, the Tooting Community Garden open day on July 28th.

The garden team of a dozen volunteers met early (no Sunday lie-ins) to put up signs, hang our TTT bunting, set up activities and then provide a warm welcome and an invitation to join in the day in any way people wished. We wanted to demonstrate that being outdoors together is accessible and enjoyable.

Over 80 people came along on a Sunday with an on-off forecast for rain. We decided to not put up gazebos, and we were all rewarded with a lovely afternoon.

The welcome table gave a focus for saying hello and having a chance to talk with visitors who either explored the garden, relaxed or joined one of our fun and practical activity workshops:

1. Creating vertical wall planters with Paul: sharing environmental, DIY, creativity and urban growing benefits.














2. Being guided by Sharon to select plants and re-purposed containers to take home - building growing skills and wellbeing.

3. Joining Jane's 'Drawn to Nature' drawing workshop: enjoying taking time to observe and be present, with wellbeing and drawing practice benefits.

4. Annie's creative workshops in the family zone: sharing benefits of creating together in unusual ways across generations or with people new to you and learning fun techniques to take home.

Feedback from visitors included:
'A lovely place, and lovely people' 'A lovely celebration of nature and community spirit' 'The day was beautiful, well thought-out and sustainable' 'A nice peaceful day and a great community feel' 'Loved the community feeling and how positive and welcoming everyone has been' 'What a lovely garden, and such friendly people. We'll be back'

Our own responses to the day?
It was very affirming for the Community Garden team to welcome so many people who enjoyed what we offered together. Sundays in the Garden are fun and informal, and it was a good challenge to do something different, facilitating an engaging and outward-looking day.
Plus, it was our 8th birthday as a garden project since being generously offered use of the land by Naseem Aboobaker.  

Many volunteers have opened the Garden space on over 400 Sundays. 

That's worth celebrating!

Thanks to all the volunteers: Amanda, Annie, Chuck, Deb, Jane, Kay, Keith, Paul, Ryan, Sharon & Tom. A big shout out to our new friends and qualified first aiders Alice & Charlie who joined us on the day to provide that cover - thankfully they had no cause to leap into action. Kudos to photographer Bryony Williams for images used here (plus more for another time) and to Kay and Chuck for other pictures in this blog.

Everyone is welcome to join us at the Community Garden every Sunday from 11:00 to 1:00 (sometimes later into the afternoon). No experience necessary and we share any updates or changes on our Tooting Community Garden Facebook and Instagram pages.

The annual Tooting Foodival - our twelfth! - is TTT's next big community event! It's taking place on Saturday 14th September and we hope to see you there - it's going to be great!

Growing Community across London - Part 1...

130 people joined us for 2 events during London National Park City Festival Week!

Our 2 linked workshops, called Growing Community in the Heart of Wandsworth, invited people to come and get their hands dirty learning how to make vertical planters, potting on, creating leaf pressings and loads more. They also created a lasting echo in both locations, read on to find out more...

The first event was at Ravenstone Primary School on Monday 22nd July. What struck me most about this day was that we had way more young people than adults and all the young people wanted to get active.

The cloth planters were made using a staple gun, here's Kate and Chuck in action. 

These four friends knew exactly what they were doing making cloth planters 

These guys loved moving muck and making a wee home for their plants.

A big element of our day was to give a workshop on making vertical planters. Why? To show what can be made with largely waste materials - pallets, any cloth, cardboard tubes from carpet shops and homemade compost. Paul Wilson gave a fantastic session on the pallet planters, encouraging people young and old to get involved.

Paul in action taking through the endless possibilities of a pallet

All planted up and ready to go!

Grandpa/son tackle the drill

The day also inspired a diverse range of volunteers who not only helped deliver the event, but also had time to catch up, share experiences and enjoy the day. HUGE thank you to Miranda, Tara, Paul and Paul, Sarah, Mary, Peter, Claire and Claire and Veronica.

Big up the Volunteer Team!

We were planting for community, for ourselves and for nature. At Ravenstone, the vertical planters for community will be used in a brand new Wild Place for Nature. This project, led by parent volunteers and quite literally digging up the asphalt down to the subsoil to build up new planting areas and provide much needed connection to nature for the 400 children at the school, not to mention parents, teachers and staff.

Everyone got to take a plant home and, of course, all the planting was good for nature.

Feedback, child-style... do we really hate plants??

Both events for part of a London wide National Park City Festival with events happening over 9 days and the announcement by Mayor Sadiq Khan of London being the world's first National Park City. Many more Cities across the World have their eyes on London and are exploring what National Park City status means for them. For us, its about advocacy for green and blue spaces in celebration for all that they give us. Its also about feeling part of a much bigger ecological and social system across London whenever we come and garden at home, at Ravenstone or at Tooting Community Garden. Its a fantastic response to the Climate Crisis, embracing imagination, communities and wonder in making London healthier, greener and wilder.

Blog 2 will be all about the linked workshop at Tooting Community Garden, keep those eyes peeled!

Follow London National Park City Foundation HERE
And their website HERE
Check out the National Park City Festival Website HERE