COMPOST KING

The past year has brought significant developments in our compost-making activities at the Forest Garden.

Because we are endeavouring to grow food crops organically on a particularly challenging soil, with a very thin layer of earthy material above solid chalk, we have a very pressing need for getting as much organic matter into our growing areas as we can.

Back in 2010, we became a recognised Community Composting location as part of a city-wide initiative promoted by Brighton and Hove Food Partnership. Local residents and organisations are encouraged to bring their compostable discards to the Project if they are not in a position to make their own, and that is now quite a well-established arrangement. We have regular contributors, usually bringing stuff to us during our open hours, but sometimes leaving boxes or bags mostly of kitchen and catering residues at the gate. So far, the arrangement has worked quite well, and has not faced us with any significant issues or challenges (apart from when we get too many stinky brassica plants).

In March last year, the CommunityComposting Network (CCN), which is the national organisation for England for community composting groups, and the Food Partnership organised a seminar at the Earthship in Stanmer Park for local food-growing groups in the Brighton area. The CCN had obtained major funding from the Big Lottery under their ‘Making Local Food Work’ programme, with a proposal to set up between 12 and 15 ‘Training Hubs’ throughout the country, and ‘expressions of interest’ were invited from groups which might participate. In May we were notified that we had been selected to become the training hub for the area, with Compost John the designated trainer, which gave rise to a certain amount of banter and mirth, as we should expect. Nonetheless, it was an accolade for John and the Project  to be selected, and another little feather in our caps.

The legendary Compost John

John was despatched to Sheffield for three days of orientation and training with the eleven other selected groups from around the country, most of which are ‘up North’. We are the smallest project by far to have been selected, the others including such luminaries as Garden Organic at Coventry (the old Henry Doubleday Research Association).

During the summer, we were given generous funding by the Prince’s Trust for materials and tools to engage selected school-age young people in the construction of new composting facilities at the Garden, and now at last, after what seems almost an eternity, we are starting to see our new mega compost bins come into being and we have started to make use of them.

There will be six bins in all, arranged along the eastern hedgerow alongside the footpath between us and Moulsecoomb railway station. John reckons that each one will hold about 2 tonnes of lovely rich stuff. One bin is intended to be used for the storage and maturation of the farmyard manure which we buy in periodically; another is for the autumn leaves which we gather each year to make leaf-mould and the other four are for the progressive decomposition of all our garden and kitchen leavings. The first couple of bins are now in regular use and the results so far have been encouraging: our bins heat up very readily (they become ‘thermophilic’ in John’s jargon) and spontaneously become home to impressive numbers, i.e. thousands and thousands, of brandling worms and other earthworm species, all of which seem to co-exist very harmoniously. With a bit more patience and luck, the whole edifice should be complete and operational by Easter. Soon, our ramshackle old bins will be swept away, and the whole area will look much more business-like. We’ll see.

The first three day community composting course was held on three successive Saturdays in November, and was attended by delegates from Common Cause in Lewes, Forest Row Conservation Society, Hanover Community Garden, Fork and Dig It community supported agriculture scheme at Stanmer and Nancy, Adam Beer and Russ Kingston who volunteered to help John with the delivery of the training. Moulsecoomb Primary School very kindly and generously allowed us to use the school premises for the course, because we don’t yet have our own classroom and we need an electricity supply to run computers and PowerPoint presentations. Carly provided lunches and refreshments for everyone. The course material had all been prepared in considerable detail by the staff of the CCN, yes, all three of them; a big chunk of authoritative research and training material. Fortunately, John was only required to deliver it. The course seemed to be very well received by the participants who evidently enjoyed themselves, and feedback from them was very encouraging. In all, eight participants will receive awards from the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, which is the accreditation body for this training, as it counts as ‘continuing professional development’.

Part of our role as a training hub will be to provide continuing support, encouragement and equipment loan facilities to groups which have participated, and the next training course is being planned by the CCN and the participating hubs for May-June this year, once the lessons learned from the first iteration have been incorporated into the course structure and content.

Community composting has been really taking off in Brighton thanks to initiatives from the Food Partnership and neighbourhood groups such as the Beaufort Terrace Community Composting scheme in Hanover which was set up and is looked after by our old friend and colleague Simon Parker, very successfully.  John goes round sticking in his six-penn’orth whether wanted or not, as usual. All in all, it’s great for the project to be so involved in such a significant sustainability effort, and best of all, it provides us with a little bit of additional income, and loads of compost for our crops.

Sometimes people ask whether we will be producing compost for sale locally. The answer is that we are trying to achieve the standards for our product which would make it just as good as any that is commercially available, and to make our own seed and potting media, but until such time as we have surplus to our own requirements, it won’t be going out of the gate. 

         John getting excited about worms

CHEERS TO BRIGHTON PERMACULTURE TRUST

This is always a busy time of year from BrightonPermaculture Trust (BPT) when plans for orchard planting come to fruition. This year they have been particularly busy in Moulsecoomb. First it was The Keep where the local vicar came up with the great idea that what would really compliment the new historical records building would be an orchard of old fashioned Sussex fruit trees. A year later children from Moulsecoomb Primary and Brighton Aldridge Community Academy were braving the freezing weather to plant trees and drink hot apple juice they had made.

Next up was the Bevendean Pub which local residents are trying to re-open it as the first co-operative pub on a housing estate in the UK. But it will be so much more than just a pub; for starters it will have an edible pubgarden! So four apple and two plums were planted as part of the plans.

Yesterday it was Moulsecoomb Primary School turn. In the pouring rain people planted fruit trees to add to the award winning school grounds. This kicked off the schools science week where a nuttery will be planted next to the World War II garden and 10 fan trained fruit trees in the new community garden.

In between tree planting Stephan from BPT ran a fruit pruning training session at the Moulsecoomb Forest Garden Project for our volunteers. Thanks to the training, these volunteers felt confident enough the following week to carry on pruning.

With support from Harvest, BPT are helping to transform Moulsecoomb back to its original vision of being a garden estate. As someone who has been at all these sessions, I have been really impressed with their ability to be professional but accessible; able to reach and teach all levels of ability and engage all ages and make everyone feel part of the event. This is not easy to do, when you also have to get a job done.

So thank you Brighton Permaculture Trust.

Next up St Andrews Church! 

Warren Carter

 Tree planting in the rain

Before pruning first some theory 

VOLUNTEERING AT THE FOREST GARDEN

Volunteering at Moulsecoomb Forest Garden Project isn't just about gardening. Working with us is the perfect opportunity to learn about outdoor education - using nature as a way of teaching pupils, especially effective for those that struggle in the classroom.

Nancy Walker started as a volunteer with us five years ago when she was at the University of Sussex; within two years she was asked to be on our management committee and is now employed by the garden as a sessional worker at Moulsecoomb Primary and runs clubs for other primary school pupils across the city.

"I started volunteering at the forest garden in my first year of university. Part of my course at the time required us to carry out research outside of campus. The nature of carrying out ethnographic research is one that is based on getting stuck in, rather than being the observer. Luckily we found ourselves at a project that was more than happy to have more hands on board: be that digging out trenches, sowing seeds, coppicing for wood or just making pots of tea on an open fire. I continued to volunteer at the forest garden throughout university, it was a place where I could escape from an academic mindset and focus my energy practically and socially. I learnt more about what I wanted to do after university from the forest garden than I did at university – as I discovered a passion for gardening and working with people of different ages, abilities and backgrounds.

Two years on from finishing university a lot of my life has revolved around these two things: people and gardening, be it regenerating a derelict piece of land into a community garden or setting up an organisation that aims to engage young people in ecology creatively. I also run two environment afterschool clubs, one which is at Moulsecoomb primary and works as an extension of the forest garden project, I have also recreated a war time garden at this school, quite literally bringing history to life, where the year fours are digging there way to victory producing an abundance of potatoes and carrots that they would have grown throughout World War II. I still pop up to the forest garden on volunteer days when I can - mainly to catch up with the great friends I have made there and chill out ironically in the polytunnel."

Amyas Gilbert started as a student volunteer, joined our management committee, became chair then had to resign as we now employ him to run sessions with pupils on our workdays as well as getting him to run garden sessions at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy

"I started volunteering at the Moulsecoomb Forest Garden Project in my second year of university, where I studied psychology. I think I just wanted to do something a bit more down to earth, in every sense of the term. I mucked in at the project on and off throughout my studies, and after graduating I attended both weekly work days every week for the next three and a half years. Bit by bit, I took on more responsibilities, was asked to join the management committee, and was eventually offered the position of chair of the board of trustees. This was all great work experience: learning horticulture and outdoor skills, helping to manage other volunteers and organise work, and finding out first-hand what it takes to run a serious community project.

Over those years I progressively got more involved with the youth work activities, assisting the highly experienced staff running outdoor education sessions with local school pupils at risk of exclusion. When an opportunity arose for the project work with more pupils and take on an extra member of staff, I was first to be offered the job. Since then I have been working full-time as a self employed youth worker, at the Mousecoomb Forest Garden and at several linked projects at local schools. In connection to this work I am also developing a school garden project of my own, am attending externally funded training courses, and am being offered outdoor education youth work by several other organisations."

Amyas takes a well earned break 

MOULSECOOMB NOT A FOOD DESERT

This article which appeared in the Brighton Argus Soapbox was in reply to one about Moulsecoomb being a food desert

So apparently Moulsecoomb is a food desert?

It’s true that if pop to the local shops you’re unlikely to find fresh baked bread or some decent fruit and vegetables. But does that make Moulsecoomb the Sahara?

Well I think Moulsecoomb is leading in the way in the City in producing fruit and vegetables.

A new orchard has just been planted at the Keep. What better to compliment the new historical records centre than an old fashioned orchard of Sussex fruit trees?

Nearby the vegetable beds at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy are full of autumn onions, garlic and broad beans and 50 raspberry plants have just gone in.

There are plans for an orchard behind St.Andrews Church and an edible pub garden at the Bevendean, with more Sussex fruit trees being planted in next year as well as vegetable beds being built. The café will serve up decent food people can afford, have a community kitchen and why not the odd farmers market?

St.Georges Hall run a popular lunch club and are trying to revive the fruit and veg co-op, while across the Lewes Road Moulsecoomb Forest Garden Project teach children and adults how to grow veg.

But the jewel in the crown must be Moulsecoomb Primary. Their awardwinning school grounds have an orchard, vegetable beds, a World War II and World Garden, chickens whose eggs are used in the breakfast club and cooking lessons. Right now an old tarmac playground is being transformed into an outdoor cooking area with herb, veg beds and fruit garden and maybe even the odd bee hive.

What Moulsecoomb has is land.  So food desert?

I don’t think so. 

Putting compost on the leeks at Moulsecoomb Primary School

Picking French beans in the polytunnel at Moulsecoomb Forest Garden

Sorting out the Moulsecoomb Primary compost bins full of well rotted chicken poo and leaves

BRIGHTON LEADS THE WAY ON COMPOSTING

Brighton's green credentials have received a fresh boost with Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project (MFGWP) becoming the regional training hub and demonstration site for community composting. 

Local award-winning charity MFGWP is one of twelve ‘Hubs’ in a training network across England for the Community Composting for Local Food project. MFGWP won the contract to deliver training, advice, equipment loan and support services to local groups in the area who are growing fresh fruit and vegetables and want to grow more sustainably by developing composting and soil fertility at their own sites.

The scheme was set up by the Community Composting Network with funding from the Big Lottery Local Food programme to become the country’s leading provider of composting support to local groups.

The free training courses and support will run in the following months supported by on-site advice visits and loans of composting machinery and equipment. Follow-up training on and off-site will be offered to complete the training package.

Brighton’s composting ‘hub’ will be based at Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project and will become a focal point for the developing composting community in the local area, which already includes groups such as Whitehawk Community Food Project, Brighton and Hove Organic Gardening Group and Brighton Community Composting Centre.

The course is on Saturday 10^th November, Saturday 17^th November and Saturday 24^th November 9am-5pm and is free. 

* To apply for a place on the courses or for more information about the courses and support please phone the Community Composting on 0114 258 0483 or email info@communitycompost.org

* For more information about MFGWP please call John Horsfield on 07903 713382 or email compost@seedybusiness.org

WESTLAIN BELT : A MONUMENT TO BEECH

Press Release

A management plan for a forgotten woodland hopes to bring the local community and school pupils together to enjoy the unique resource on their doorstep.

Westlain Belt woodland shelters the new Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, the Bridge Community Centre, and part of residential East Moulsecoomb.

The Belt also marks both the boundary of the new South Downs National Park and the boundary of the built-up area of Brighton.

 ‘...The fallen hulks of two century old beeches; ghostly white root plates of upturned gale-struck trees; slime moulds and shining fungi dating from the primeval swamps; tower blocks for jackdaws, woodpeckers and bats; fossil sponges and shells from the tropical oceans of the dinosaur age; the dens and paths made by generations of local children... ...The tranquillity of green glades; the paint box colours of autumn leaf fall; the small wood, timber and twine that nature renders up for our use; the hidden places where we can peer through into the other worlds of nature...’

The woodland of Westlain Belt has grown for over two centuries on the open Downs half way between Brighton and Lewes, planted as an outer part of a galaxy of woodlands centred on Stanmer Park, by its past owners. Many Moulsecoomb and Falmer people will have walked and played there, especially as children or young people.

Dave Bangs, local naturalist and author said “It is time we properly recognised and managed this old and lovely place for what it is truly worth...a place to learn, to have fun, to wonder, to enjoy tranquillity, and to appreciate nature. It is for that reason that this Management Plan has been written. We hope all Westlain Belt’s neighbouring communities will benefit.”

Wilf Nicholls from The Prince's Trust who funded the report said "The Prince’s Trust is proud to be supporting increasing numbers of disadvantaged young people in the area and this is a fantastic project that offers so much, not only for the young people that have led the project, but for the Academy and its pupils, the environment and the wider community. It will leave a legacy of lasting improvements and increased access to the woods as a natural, leisure and learning resource for the whole community."

Natasha Silsby from Brighton Aldridge Community Academy said: “The Brighton Aldridge Community Academy is thrilled to have been part of this process. The surrounding woodlands present such rich learning opportunities and health benefits for our students and the local community; we can't wait to get started.”

Ben Sherratt from Sustrans said: “The Sustrans Bike It Project runs bike clubs in Moulsecoomb Primary and BACA, the young people in these clubs are keen riders and are really looking forward to using the local woodland for their back yard adventures on their bikes.”

There will be a celebratory walk on Wednesday 19th September 3pm

You can see the management plan here

MOULSECOOMB PRIMARY HERITAGE AND ENVIRONMENT FESTIVAL

Over eight hundred children from different schools across the city came to the sixth Heritage and Environment Festival at Moulsecoomb Primary School. Pupils got to do everything from making WWII potato pancakes from ration book recipes (made a lot more edible with a dollop of jam from the schools cherry plum trees), brass rubbing, bug hunting, weaving, archaeological digs, fire making, neolithic hut reconstruction, wattling, carving, sheep herding and dressing up as a Lewes Priory monk. There was also a session attended by over 150 teachers and school staff about how to include outdoor learning into the curriculum. We took pupils from the Swan Centre to have a look around the festival before they came to the forest garden for a bit of bush craft and pizza making.