Cultivating community in MyClubmoor
Listen: what a horticulture project means to local residents
This piece is part of our Voices of Big Local series, through which individuals in Big Local areas undertake training and mentoring to tell the stories that matter to them. Here, Daniel from MyClubmoor in Liverpool shares his experience of producing a podcast to explore an allotment project that is already making a difference in the community.
Over the past 12 months our Big Local community, MyClubmoor, have developed a project called Incredible Edible Clubmoor. We’ve been working in partnership with a range of local organisations and have even had support from Liverpool City Council.
Through Incredible Edible, we have turned disused green spaces into ‘propaganda gardens’ to grow herbs and vegetables for local residents to take home and use as they wish.
It’s been brilliant to be able to provide local residents with free, fresh produce in these uncertain times.”
We currently have a team of 10 volunteers from the local area and have built seven raised flower beds in the space outside the community hub to grow a wide range of vegetables and herbs. We’ve also recently planted three planter climbers around the neighbourhood so even more produce can be grown locally.
The project began before COVID-19 but it’s been brilliant to be able to provide local residents with free, fresh produce during these uncertain times. We’ve had plenty of amazing feedback from residents who are so pleased that they can use what we grow.
When we were offered the chance to create a podcast with the production company Hamlett Films, we thought it would be a great opportunity to share our experiences of Incredible Edible and explore what it means to the community.
I took the lead on the project, working alongside my colleague John Maguire to produce a plan and discuss an overall narrative for the podcast. I’ve been involved with MyClubmoor since 2016 and am the Creative Projects Officer.
Conducting interviews with Incredible Edible volunteers was a brilliant opportunity to hear them talk so passionately about the project.”
I have some experience of producing videos, holding interviews and taking photographs of community projects. I also have a great passion for music and podcasts of all kinds and the idea of being able to work with professionals to create my own podcast was something that excited me.
It was really interesting to learn about all the processes that go into making a podcast such as the planning stage, audience experience and even adding soundbites so the listener can visualise what you’re saying. The one-to-one sessions with my mentor were intuitive and enabled me to make lots of progress in a short time and learn new ways of approaching tasks and challenges.
I would recommend this training to anyone, even if you don’t have any experience of making podcasts.”
Conducting the interviews with Incredible Edible volunteers was a brilliant opportunity to hear them talk so passionately about the project. It is a great feeling when residents give feedback on the work we’re doing and seeing them engage with our initiatives is really rewarding.
We want as many people in the local area to know about our Incredible Edible project and hope our podcast will spark an interest in similar community projects, both in our area and in neighbourhoods around the country.
Overall, I feel I’ve learnt lots from taking part in the training. I would recommend this training to anyone, even if you don’t have any experience of making podcasts or anything similar.
I hope you enjoy listening!
If you would like to learn more about the MyClubmoor’s Incredible Edible Project you can contact us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or contact Daniel Ryder or John Maguire directly.
