The Gathering Place Community Garden: An holistic approach to Community Gardening

1. The Gathering Place Community
Garden
An holistic approach
to Community
Gardening

2. Our local area
• The Kilburn/Blair Athol area has amongst the highest rates in
metropolitan Adelaide for heart disease, respiratory disease,
cancer and mental illness
• Large influx of refugees/new arrivals
• Low socio-economic area
with high unemployment

3. The Garden’s History
•Started in 2002 as a joint
initiative between Adelaide
Central Community Health
Service, SA Housing Trust and
Eastern Community Mental
Health Service
•Based in the backyard of a
Housing Trust home used as a
community information and
meeting point

4. The Garden’s History
•In 2005 moved to The HEALS
Centre in Blair Athol
•Continued to be a joint
collaboration between Adelaide
Central Community Health
Service and Eastern Community
Mental Health Service
•In November 2009 became part
of the HEALS Centre programme

5. The HEALS Centre
(Health Education and Life Skills Centre)
•A Uniting Church initiative set up in response to the health issues faced by
the local community
•We offer help and support in order to address illness, disease and other
life issues

6. Garden Days
Growing food
Cooking with fresh garden
produce
Sharing a meal

7. Life skills
Practical information
and advice on:
•Gardening
•Cooking
•Health Issues
•Exercise
•Lifestyle choices

8. Other outcomes
•Friendship
•Social contact
•Spiritual Guidance
•Building confidence
•Creating a sense of
achievement

9. Gardening knowledge
•Encouragement
•Helping each other
•Experimenting
•Hands- on

10. Our volunteers
We hope that in time all our participants will begin to take responsibility
for the whole of their lives, and then begin to help others do the same

11. Financial sustainability
Continuous fundraising to
work towards the garden
becoming self-sufficient

12. Fundraising
A monthly market selling craft items, plants, seeds and
any excess produce from the garden

13. Our Vision
‘The question is not how to cure, but how
to live’

14. Moving forward

15. Food Security
Access to cheap fresh food

16. Kinder Gardening
Involving pre-school
children in growing
and preparing food

17. Community Art Projects
Dragon Seat
Mosaic Workshop

18. The Gathering Place Community Garden,
Blair Athol, Adelaide, South Australia.