On Sunday, we were joined by volunteers from the University of Sheffield who helped with planting, digging and weeding; all part of the ongoing work to improve the green spaces on Club Garden Road.

Most of the volunteers were from the Sheffield Malaysian Student Association and had joined us on the community work day back in March.  It was great to see some familiar faces, especially at this busy and stressful time of year for students with essays due in and exams looming.

The day started with a tool talk from Gareth and time spent admiring the edible plants and herbs planted two months ago.  These are now starting to flourish, particularly the wild sorrel.

In between dodging showers and enjoying the occasional sunny spell, we weeded the raised beds, cleared a patch of thorny thistles and planted more fragrant herbs and edibles including lavender, sage, lovage and globe artichokes. 

We also tackled some of the shrubs in the bed at the start of Club Garden Walk, digging up their long, thick roots so that more wildlife-friendly plants and herbs can be planted. It wasn’t always easy, but thanks to team work and perseverance, the area was cleared.  There was of course some litter picking to do, but not as much as last time.

Our efforts were appreciated by passers-by and local residents, several of whom stopped to find out more about the work and to thank the volunteers.  One local resident even donated some mint from her garden, which was replanted and will hopefully spread, making a fragrant raised bed in front of the Regather building. 

To end what was a very successful day, Gareth took the volunteers on a walk to visit more-established community garden projects between Regather and Lynwood Gardens.

A big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who took part. We’d love to see you again at future work parties as we continue to improve the green spaces around Club Garden Road, and would welcome new volunteers and local residents to get involved too!

To find out more about volunteering at Regather, get in touch. You’ll also find us on Facebook and Twitter.