Cycle Tour of London's secret food-growing gardens

Londoners can visit 14 exciting new food-growing gardens on Saturday 25th September as part of the inaugural Capital Growth Open Gardens Day. Four of the spaces are also on a special bike route so cyclists can tour them on wheels.

The 14 food growing gardens will be open for a day of food and celebration, but also to demonstrate how people can grow food in their own gardens or on local open spaces. The Capital Growth Open Gardens Day offers a glimpse into the world of London's rising community of food-growers.

Capital Growth, the campaign which aims to create 2,012 new community food growing spaces in London by the end of 2012 is behind the open day. It is a partnership between London Food Link, the Mayor of London and the Big Lottery Local Food Fund. Six hundred spaces have been created across the capital already.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'This is a great opportunity for Londoners to combine cycling around our wonderful city with learning about how the capital's army of food-growers fill their larders, beautify formerly un-used land and generate community spirit and pride in their neighbourhoods.'

Ida Fabrizio from Capital Growth explained
'We're really excited to have such a range of sites involved including an edible roof garden on Budgens in Crouch End and a food garden growing in skips in the heart of Kings Cross opposite St Pancras station. These show how unused spaces across the Capital have been transformed by community groups. Other sites such as Dreams of Eden show how residents in a street have come together to transform an overgrown garden, and When will the Harvest be? is an inspirational project which has used a webcam to track the growth of their beautiful garden.’

ENDS

For further information  and to download a cycle map go to https://www.capitalgrowth.org/opengardens/  or contact Ben Reynolds on 0203 5596 777 / ben@sustainweb.org or Alan Ali  from the Mayor's press office on 020 7983 4066 .

Notes for Editors

1. For keen cyclists there will also be a cycle route and accompanied bike tour (with a small charge) between the central sites. For more information: https://www.capitalgrowth.org/opengardens/

If you are interested in going on an accompanied cycle tour please email spaces@sustainweb.org

2. Participating sites and their open times:

Camden

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=232 King's Cross Orchard (space no. 215)*
106 Camley Street, Kings Cross, NW1 0PF
Open 11am-4pm

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=117 King's Cross Skip Garden (space no. 117)*
Pancras Road, King's Cross, NW1 (behind German Gym NW1 2TB)
Open 10am-2pm

Ealing

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=74 Invicta Grove community garden (space no. 74)
(behind Civil Engineer’s pub)
Invicta Grove estate (Brunel Close)
Northolt, Middlesex UB5 6RW
Open 2pm-4pm for celebration BBQ and apple pressing.

Hackney

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=328 John's Estate Community Kitchen Garden (space no. 201)*
St John's Estate (at New North Road & Murray Grove), Hackney, N1 6JN
Open 11am-4pm

Haringey

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=214 Food from the Sky (space no. 269)
Rear of Budgens, access from Crouch Hall Road, off Crouch End Broadway, N8 8DU
Open 11am-4pm

Islington

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=127 St Luke's Centre (space no. 127)*
90 Central Street, Islington, EC1V 8AJ
Open 11am-4pm

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=595 The Stress Project (space no. 411)
2 Shelburne Road, Nr Finsbury Park, N7 7JP
Open 10am-4pm

Lambeth

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=91 Cottington Community Garden (space no. 91)
Cottington Estate, Opal Street, Kennington, SE11 4RR
Open 11am-4pm

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=330 Hamer's House Gardening Club (space no. 290)
Hamer's House, Ewen Crescent, off Upper Tulse Hill, SW2 2RR
Open 12noon - 4pm

Newham

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=237 What Will the Harvest Be? (space no.79)
Abbey Gardens, Bakers Row, Stratford, E15 3NF
Open 10am-3pm

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=279 Dreams of Eden (space no. 292)
18 Lorne Road, Forest Gate, E7 0LJ
Open 3pm-5pm

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=22 Dirty Hands
Valetta Grove, (Junction of Lettsom Walk), Plaistow, E13 ORJ
Open 10am - 3pm

 Sutton

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=309 Sutton Community Farm (space no. 340)
Little Woodcote Smallholdings, Telegraph Track, Wallington, SM6 0SH
Open 10am-2pm

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/spaces/?sid=702 Highbury New Park Project (Single Homeless Project) (space no. 412)
88 Highbury New Park, Islington, N5 2DJ
Open 10am-4pm

https://www.capitalgrowth.org/opengardens/

3. About Capital Growth:
Capital Growth is a partnership initiative between London Food Link, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and the Big Lottery's Local Food Fund. It is championed by the Chair of the London Food Board Rosie Boycott and aims to create 2012 new community food growing spaces across London by the end of 2012. Capital Growth offers practical help, grants training and support to groups wanting to establish community food growing projects as well as well as advice to landowners.

It is funded by the Mayor of London and by the Big Lottery Fund's Local Food Programme. https://www.capitalgrowth.org/

4. Capital Growth recently launched the Edible Estates competition to find the best community food growing projects on London’s housing estates. Capital Growth wants to encourage residents of housing estates to start a community food growing space or to enhance their existing community food growing space. The deadline to register for the competition is October 1st 2010. For more details visit https://www.capitalgrowth.org/edibleestates/ or contact Capital Growth.

5. About London Food Link
London Food Link (http://www.londonfoodlink.org/) runs a network of organisations and individuals promoting a more sustainable food system for the capital. Network members are as diverse as farmers and food writers, caterers and community food projects. London Food Link is part of Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming. https://www.sustainweb.org/