3–4 September
Nottingham

The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG) marks its 30th anniversary this year with a major event in Nottingham on 3–4 September. This celebration of community farming and gardening will include a conference session, workshops and site visits to local food growing and gardening projects, as well as a civic reception hosted by the Lord Mayor and a celebration ceilidh.

A minister from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is being lined up to make a keynote speech at the conference, while other Government ministers have been invited to attend. There will be further announcements about research by FCFCG into a Community Land Bank, which would supporting access for community growing groups to unused land for either temporary or long term gardening use.

The event will see the launch of the Federation’s oral history project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which will help record the experiences of people who have been involved with the community farming and gardening movement during the last three decades. Some of the grant will be used to develop a toolkit for local groups to record and preserve their own histories.

Visitors at the event will get a chance to see a unique and unusual garden plot that has been created by local FCFCG member groups in the grounds of Nottingham Castle. The display includes a scarecrow, beehives, model hens made of chicken wire and a willow structure in the shape of a tree. The mini-garden has been filled with edible and exotic plants specially chosen for their colour, as well as reflecting the ethnic diversity of some of the city’s community groups.

FCFCG Chief Executive Jeremy Iles said: ‘Our work in supporting community farms and gardens, and the job they do in creating opportunities for local people, is something we feel is well worth celebrating. This event gives us the chance to reflect on the past, as well as look ahead to what we need to do in the future.’

Representatives from community gardening and farming groups from across the UK will attend the event, with free places for FCFCG members up for grabs on a first come, first served basis. Anyone interested in booking a place should visit the FCFCG website at:

www​.farmgarden​.org​.uk/​a​n​n​i​v​e​r​s​ary or people can contact FCFCG direct via admin@​farmgarden.​org.​uk or telephone 0117 923 1800.