Case Study Blooming Bedminster

Blooming Bedminster

Blooming Bedminster: Celebrating all local green spaces

Community Green Empowerment

Blooming Bedminster and My Wild Bedminster is home to Good Gardens Awards - a celebration of Front Gardens in BS3, Secret Gardens Trails - where residents open their garden, hospitality and learnings to the community and also Patchwork - a gardening group who turn neglected land into community garden spaces.

This created community shares plants, seeds, findings and knowledge. They are also connected with a local Garden Club - South Bristol Gardening Club.

Ben Barker and Matthew Symonds are central to bringing people from the communities in BS3 and beyond about events, groups, wildlife sightings, projects and reports regarding the wildlife in the area.

Good Garden Awards

The Good Garden Awards is a celebration of front garden spaces in BS3 - a predominately urban area with many terrace houses. Window boxes and any area in front of the property counts, no matter how small the space.

The Good Front Garden Awards was set up in 2004 by Mathew Symonds to brighten up the area for everyone, celebrate all contributions to local wildlife. It shares knowledge and advice about local gardening and wildlife wins, plus it strengthens community relations as it gets people talking and wanting to get involved.

Matthew, organiser of the event, originally had contacts of people who were interested in the project and also has a personal interest in gardening. The Awards have grown in popularity over the years, with over 35,000 Awards given out by the dedicated team of local volunteers.

Blooming Bedminster

Blooming Bedminster

Blooming Bedminster

Blooming Bedminster

How Good Garden Awards Works

The Blooming Bedminster team have streamlined this award process to make it as simple and easy as possible for maximum effect of celebrating peoples contribution to wildlife in their front garden spaces, no matter the size.

Blooming Bedminster

How to set up your own Good Garden Awards

Decide on the area to include in the Awards scheme.
Use existing resources to design the Award, or hold a competition for the design, which gets the local community involved.
Volunteers are essential to successful projects and greatly appreciated.
Find local sponsorship to pay for (or do) the printing of the Awards.
Use existing resources to deliver the leaflets/Awards to local area to acknowledge front garden efforts. Include all contributions, no matter how small the space. 250 Streets were included in 2022, which grows each year.
Good front gardens are awarded with a printed A4 poster/leaflet, requested to be displayed with pride. It is a 'thank you' and recognition for their front garden making a positive contribution to the neighbourhood. Include info about the Awards and how to get in contact and tag on social media, to spread the word further.
Make sure everyone from the community is included and welcome, from all backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, economic status, gender, age etc. Even if houses are rented or front gardens/driveways are small, actions can still be taken. The values are to improve the area overall, connecting the properties, for the well-being of people as well as boosting biodiversity.

Secret Garden Trail

Secret Garden Bedminster — Blooming Bedminster

A hugely popular local event

Blooming Bedminster's Secret Garden Trail has grown from strength-to-strength, opening up the community by inviting people to resident's back gardens to talk about the garden, share knowledge and connect like-minded people.

It aims to inspire gardening and show what can be achieved locally in small urban gardens, share knowledge and advice, strength community relations. People really enjoy showcasing their gardens!

Since 2006, over £10k has been raised, which is invested back into the community via garden and environmental projects, such as Ashton Vale planters. Wow!

Blooming Bedminster

How the Secret Garden Trail works

Make the process as simple as possible, over complicating things didn't work for Blooming Bedminster, such as selling guide maps.
Start small and allow it to organically grow. 2006 x 9 gardens, 2022 x 31 gardens.
People nominate their own garden to be part of the trail. Sent questionnaire with access questions, risk assessments, photo consents etc. Anyone is welcome to enter.
Money – a suggested donation of £3 per person is charged in the first garden visited, a sticker is then given for access the other gardens. £3,200 was raised in 2022.
Resources – a simplified map is created which lists all gardens with short blurb about them and includes sponsors of the event. A member of the community volunteered their skills as to design this leaflet. Another sponsor paid for the flyers to be printed.
The map also highlighted green spaces maintained by volunteers in the community.
Promotion of the event was organic via word of mouth and various existing communication channels with My Wild Bedminster.
Success – 300-400 visitors over 2 days in some gardens!

Secret_Gardens_BS3_2022_flyer_1_web — Blooming Bedminster

Money raised is invested back into the community

Money raised is invested back to local projects involving community gardens and spaces, as well as environmental projects. Local groups and people suggest their ideas to Blooming Bedminster.

Ashton Vale Planters were funded by Blooming Bedminster, brightening the space for people and wildlife locally.