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Green Living & Sustainability Community Gardens (GLAS) has been serving the wider community since 2011. The garden is used by local communities as a place for “learning and social inclusion”.
The green space was launched by the Global Action Plan (GAP) with the aim of bringing together people of all ages and abilities.
“It’s extremely important that people have access to these spaces,” Hans Zomer, chief executive of GAP Ireland, told the Irish Independent.
“I think what we have here is a model that can be replicated in other areas, but this is not your average community garden.”
The Ballymun Garden features a polytunnel, fairy garden, a large number of microhabitats including a pond, composting systems, a grow dome and a rainwater harvesting system made from plastic bottles. recycled plastic.
Recent research carried out by the Technological University (TU) Dublin examined the impact of the garden on its users.
The majority of users of the garden are asylum seekers. Others include groups from Central Remedial Clinic, St. Michael’s House, St. Vincent’s Centre, Navan Road, Young Ballymun and local schools.
Many members of the local community also come to the garden regularly.
The Dublin City Council-funded garden does not use any pesticides on its crops to ensure its produce is organic and chemical-free.
Sharon Harvey, horticulturist and community garden manager, explained: “People come for the gardening, but they usually stay for the social aspect.
“We have individuals who come here, and it’s like a family; people are close. Last year we had a lot of volunteers from Direct Provision.”
She added: “People come from all over Africa, and we’ve had such an education, and it’s fabulous to share each other’s culture, and we’ve learned a lot about them.”
“What I discover in this garden, and not only thanks to the international volunteers but also when people come together, we realize how similar we are.”
The gardens are a great place for those who want to contribute to organic food production and for anyone who simply wants to enjoy the outdoors.
Recent research carried out by the Technological University (TU) Dublin examined the impact of the garden on its users.
Francis McGeough, lecturer in accounting and finance at TU Dublin, told the Irish Independent he was contacted by GAP and visited the space three times to interview people who were in the garden.
“All the schools praised the garden and what it did for the students, as it made their lessons a little more relevant as they were able to see with their hands some of the things they were learning at the garden. “It was an opportunity to get some fresh air and just understand biodiversity and where food comes from,” he said.
A headteacher from a nearby school described the garden as “a real little oasis in the middle of Ballymun”.
One local who regularly uses the garden said he loved the social aspect of the space.
“You meet so many different people from all walks of life,” she said. “I have a lot going on in my own life, cancer issues with my brother, but coming here helps me totally relax.”
The Green Party TD for Waterford, Marc Ó Cathasaigh, recently launched a private member’s bill to help expand community gardens for communities across the country, under local authority arrangements.
The Bill provides that local authorities must prepare and publish a community gardens policy on the development, allocation and use of community gardens in their administrative area.
Communities will be able to apply to their local authority to rent and use a community garden, and the local authority will maintain a waiting list of applicants to offer the next available community garden space to interested people.
Research conducted by GAP has identified a clear positive relationship between access to nature and mental health, including the idea that a population’s mental health can be affected by proximity to green or blue spaces.
Another point of their research shows that one of the main contributing factors to mental health problems in recent decades has been urbanization. Studies show that people living in cities generally experience higher levels of psychological stress than those living in rural areas.
Sharon said many of the garden’s users “suffered with mental health issues and we found the garden helped them a lot”.
“There are people who live alone, so when they come here we have tea at noon and we all get together,” she said.
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