Offering access to 43 raised beds outside the People’s Pantry in Glasgow, Carfin Street Gardens encourages residents to learn about and take control of their food systems through weekly gardening sessions facilitated by a staff member.

Visitors can harvest fresh herbs and salad leaves or relax in the peaceful gardens. The project has transformed a highly built-up area into a lush, growing space, which the People’s Pantry said was developed as a response to community interest in growing food.

The People’s Pantry has a team of 10 volunteers who will each take ownership of a planter. They have requested guidance over the next year, and it’s hoped that by the end of the project, they will be confident enough to “buddy up” with less experienced volunteers and support them in their planter ownership in the following year.

In the future, the Group aims for the project to become volunteer-led, bringing the community’s voices to the forefront. To achieve this, the People’s Pantry will also encourage volunteers and staff members to co-design a printed Gardening Toolkit specific for urban growing in Govanhill, giving insights into how community ownership can be best achieved.

A participant said, “The project is changing the environment in the neighbourhood. The street is greener, cleaner, and more peaceful. The benches are also great, bringing people together.”