Improving access to Newham's Hidden Gems

I started Mapping Newham's community gardens to understand the local resource for plant sharing. But this became a project of its own, with 50 strong green and blue spaces in the borough. The map has brought everyone together, sharing resources and supporting each other when times can feel tough and lonely. The map has also been used as a resource for NHS social prescribing practitioners, a lovely surprise and far surpassing my expectations.

Community gardens can often be difficult to find, tucked away behind residential streets with no signage.

We want to change this and help more people find and enjoy these hidden gems. Working with the National Park Rangers programme and local communities we are creating emblems of the green and blue places creating a trail map (eventually a waymarked trail) to encourage people to visit more places. See below some inital ideas from a recent event.