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 and community wellbeing, increasing biodiversity and addressing climate change.
Core Landscapes began in 2009 as a “meanwhile” project and has relocated 4 times across 3 boroughs in the last 12 years using temporarily available land. Harvesting and diverting rainwater, composting, greening up organically and using solar-powered irrigation systems wherever we’ve been.
Now firmly rooted in Hackney, we care for a roof garden, garage garden and street level garden, 7 tree pits and 7 street planters along Wardle Street, a 60m long meadow strip and community orchard in nearby Homerton Grove and have created a new 1600m2 community garden behind St Barnabas church next door to Core Arts in Hackney.
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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Latest News
Mental health charity to open beautiful garden ‘sanctuary’ in Homerton
A mental health charity in Hackney is to open a community garden that has been worked on for 20 months by more than 500 volunteers. […]
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
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.”