transforming meanwhile sites to promote positive mental health for all

transforming meanwhile sites to promote positive mental health for all

                   

Core Landscapes

Community Gardens and Plant Nursery

Creating green havens for the community. By the Community

Core Landscapes transforms underused land in deprived urban areas into hubs for community engagement through horticulture, design, workshops, training and events – improving mental and physical health, overall wellbeing and community cohesion. We currently manage our roof garden, garage garden and street level garden, 7 tree pits and 7 street planters along Wardle Street, and a 60m long meadow strip and community orchard in nearby Homerton Grove – and are creating a new 1600m2 community garden behind St Barnabas church next door to Core Arts.

Core Landscapes began in 2009 as a “meanwhile” project and we’ve relocated 4 times across 3 boroughs in the last 10 ten years using temporarily available land; Harvesting and diverting rainwater, composting, greening up organically and using solar powered irrigation systems wherever we’ve been based.

Core Landscapes is a Core Arts project: a not-for-profit Social Business that promotes positive mental health and wellbeing through creative learning. Core Arts provides quality education, training, employment and social enterprise initiatives that enable people who experience mental health issues to overcome barriers, fulfil their potential and participate fully in their community.

Location

Roof Garden entrance and street planting: Wardle Street
Core Arts Community Garden: Homerton High Street
Core Arts Members Garden: St Barnabas Terrace
Meadow and community orchard: Homerton Grove

All our green spaces support and promote biodiversity and demonstrate climate change mitigation techniques.

Opening hours:
Core Arts Community Garden open 24/7
Core Arts Members’ Garden open Tues – Fridays 10am – 5pm
Meadow and community orchard open 24/7
Roof Garden: tours by appointment and Eventbrite bookings
Wardle Street Planting: open 24/7

Contact:
Nemone Mercer
Core Landscapes Project Director 07585 770 868 | nmercer@corearts.co.uk

Alisa Graham-Brown
Community Gardener garden@corearts.co.uk

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Greening the Streets
“The Wardle Street Project”

Latest News

Here are our awards from London in Bloom for this year…

It’s Your Neighbourhood  95% Outstanding
Our Community Gold 94%
Core Landscapes Roof Garden Gold and Overall Winner 

Core Landscapes receives the Green Flag Award 2023 … again!

The aims of the Green Flag Award are to ensure that everybody has access to quality green and other open spaces, irrespective of where they live []

Award-winning landscapers to build community garden in Homerton

Plans are underway to create a community garden at St Barnabas Church in Homerton, Hackney council has announced. []

Wardle Street given green makeover by mental health charity

Wardle Street has received a green makeover courtesy of award-winning mental health charity Core Arts. Students and volunteers from Core Landscapes, the organisation’s green arm, planted up 12 tree pits []

Core values at heart of Wardle Street makeover

Students and volunteers planted 12 tree pits and street planters on Wardle Street and installed a 50 metre-long wildflower meadow strip and community orchard in Homerton Grove […]

Mayor of London awards Grow Back Greener grant to Core Landscapes

Helping London adapt to climate change and promoting walking and cycling by converting grey streets into greener spaces: the Wardle Street Project, led by Core Landscapes, will green the route between Homerton High Street and Homerton Hospital in Hackney, with a community orchard, a new meadow and a green wall []

Core Landscapes receives the Green Flag Award 2020

The Green Flag Award scheme recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world []

Core Landscapes wins London in Bloom 2020 Gold Awards

London in Bloom is about celebrating the passion Londoners have for greening our Capital city, recognising the tireless work of volunteers who support and care for many of our parks, squares, and green spaces both []

Core Landscapes featured in London Landscapes Summer 2020 issue

The Core Landscapes team transforms temporary sites into green havens to promote positive mental health and physical health and community cohesion. []

Core Arts launches online lessons for budding gardeners as skeleton staff maintains rooftop haven

Mental health charity Core Arts, which runs a community roof garden in Homerton where it hosts courses for budding green thumbs, has moved online amid the coronavirus lockdown []

Drab roof transformed into community garden

Two hundred volunteers grafted for five months to transform a bland Homerton roof into a community rooftop garden – and the results are stunning.

‘Plan bee’ for cities: new report sows seeds for insect-friendly urban areas

A study has revealed the importance of cities for pollinators and highlights how to attract bees and other insects to urban areas []

Empowering people to improve their physical and mental health through horticulture, interview with Nemone Mercer []

Awards

  • GOLD + OVERALL WINNER ‘Environment Challenge’ Award 2022 London in Bloom

  • GOLD Award RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

  • GREEN FLAG AWARD 2022/23

  • OUTSTANDING ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ Award 2022 London in Bloom

  • SILVER GILT ‘Our Community’ Award 2022 London in Bloom

  • GREEN FLAG AWARD 2021/22

  • GOLD ‘Our Community’ 2021

  • OUTSTANDING ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ 2021

  • GOLD Environment Challenge Award London in Bloom 2021

  • GREEN FLAG AWARD 2020

  • OUTSTANDING “It’s Your Neighbourhood Award” 2019

  • BEST NATURE PROJECT “Social Prescribing Award” – Defra finalist 2019

  • OVERALL WINNER “Our Community Award” – London in Bloom Award 2018

  • GOLD “London in Bloom” 2018

  • OUTSTANDING “It’s Your Neighbourhood Award” 2018

  • FINALIST Groundwork Community Awards ‘Best Community Contribution to Health and Wellbeing’ 2017

  • ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood Award’ Thriving 2016

  • ‘London in Bloom’ The Greener Streets Awards 2016

  • ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood Award’ Thriving 2015

  • ‘Sustainable City Awards: Greening the Third Sector’ 2013 / 14

  • WINNER City Bridge Trust ‘Growing Localities Award’ 2013

  • 2ND PRIZE Best Food Growing ‘Capital Growth’ 2012

  • CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE ‘London in Bloom’ 2012

  • CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE ‘Hackney in Bloom’ 2012

  • BEST COMMUNITY GARDEN Green Pennant Award 2012

Downloads

“I have poor mental health normally so this really impacted on me and gave me an anchor, a sense of belonging and of the opportunities to reach out and find work or leisure possibilities.”

“I’ve learnt a lot about sowing, time length, watering and soil depth etc. I’ve seen that there are so many people who want a bit of green and cleaner cheaper healthier living despite being constrained by low incomes.”