Since its humble beginnings with a few raised beds next to La Baita café on the Common, Bandstand Beds has burgeoned into the biggest food-growing project in Clapham.
Three years ago, with in-kind support from Lambeth Council and grant funding secured by Bandstand Beds, the group turned a corner of Clapham Common’s Green Waste site on Windmill Drive (formerly known as the dump) into a lush community garden.
Last year, due to the success and popularity of this amazing project, Lambeth Council allowed Bandstand Beds take over more of the green waste site to extend the garden.
Through the Clapham Common MAC, Bandstand Beds has been able to secure funding from Lambeth Council’s levy on large events on Clapham Common to pay for pathways in the original part of the garden, making it a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
One of Bandstand Beds ambitions for the coming year is to set regular gardening sessions for people over 50 who want to get outdoors and get active, have fun food growing and meet people.
They are already running trial sessions in the safer areas of the community, but need to extend the pathways which will enable them to open up the whole garden and make full use of their container kitchen.
To bring about this transformation to the rest of the garden Bandstand Beds needs to raise just over £5,000 to extend the pathways. To achieve this goal the group has set up a crowdfunding page on Spacehive and Lambeth Council has pledged £795 to cover the VAT.
Each Saturday morning Bandstand Beds has a table outside the community garden on Windmill Drive with a plethora of produce from pea shoots to pickles. Probably the freshest veg you will find in Clapham! All of the money from the sale of this food will go towards the group’s crowdfunding.
If you are unable to make it to the garden on Saturdays, you can also help Bandstand Beds achieve their funding target by visiting this link to Spacehive to make a donation.
To find out more about how to get involved with Bandstand Beds food-growing project in the heart of Clapham Common, and for information about future fundraising events, visit its website or email ccbandstandbeds@gmail.com