Community garden to keep growing

IF you’ve got a green thumb and some spare time to give, head to the Long Gully Community Garden’s volunteer drive next week.

Garden facilitator Jonathan Ridnell said anyone was welcome at the induction next Thursday, 10 February from 10am.

“I’m really keen to find people with a whole variety of skills from never having planted a seed right up to those people who will be able to tell me what to do,” he said.

“In my mind’s eye, what I’d love is to have that cross section of people from across Bendigo who would like to learn more, connect with likeminded people who like gardening, and people who may think ‘I haven’t been out of the house for a while, it might be nice to pop down’.”

Under the auspices of the Long Gully Neighbourhood Centre, the garden’s produce contributes to the organisation’s pop-up pantry, as well as a people’s pantry at the nearby St Matthew’s Church, and Bendigo Foodshare.

Mr Ridnell said volunteering in the community space could have a wide range of benefits for those involved.

“I see this sitting on a spectrum of ‘gardening produces food’ right through to that whole idea of the process of doing it is good for your emotional, mental and physical health,” he said.

“This is really about finding who is interested, what their capacity is and then working with that to create different programs that will maximise the benefits of the garden but more importantly for those members of the community.”

Prospective volunteers are encouraged to bring a hat, bottle of water and their own pair of secateurs, if they have any, to the induction.

To register your interest, contact Mr Ridnell via [email protected] or on 0419 461 308 by 8 February.