How do you create a vibrant oasis the whole community can appreciate?
In a built-up urban location in Essex, a group of gardeners, supported by some creative partnering within the community, has achieved just that.
The gardening club at Vine United Reformed Church in Ilford (pictured below), formed in 2023, was highly commended in the 2025 United Reformed Church Community Awards. Church Elder Peter Musgrave has now shared their story so that others can pick up the baton.
Peter says: “As a congregation, we saw an opportunity to create a gardening club which would transform not only our own church grounds but also be a blessing to the local community and, helpfully, inspire greening elsewhere in urban environments.”
The group aimed to do two things: to promote the wellbeing of previously homeless residents of a nearby Salvation Army hostel; and “to create a new community garden outside Vine URC in a nature-depleted part of Ilford, which would be both productive and wildlife friendly”. They found significant support from Transition Town Ilford, an international network of communities that envisions “a world where every individual can become part of a supportive community, feeling safe, welcomed, and empowered to thrive”.
With tips, videos and links to further resources (including possible funding from the URC’s Mission Enabling Fund), the experience of the Vine gardening club has now been shared on the United Reformed Church website as one of our Greener church Helpful Resources.
The key, says Peter, was to make connections in the area. “By working with our local community, we were able to complete the project far more effectively than we could have done on our own, sharing and learning skills that had a positive impact on members of the local community and inspiring further greening in other previously concrete-dominated corners of the local area.”
Read more and be inspired to create your own wild-friendly garden.
