Advice, Support + Training
With over 10 years experience of setting up and managing community growing projects involving a wide range of volunteers and other beneficiaries, over 4 different sites in 3 East London Boroughs, Core Landscapes offers a consultation service to help enable others to set up and/or effectively manage sustainable community growing projects that offer good social return on investment.
Core Landscapes manages award winning community gardens and green spaces and is part of the mental health charity Core Arts.
Please note each growing project and organisation has its own unique site and community – with varying aims and objectives. The list below gives an overview of the general areas covered and is not exclusive. Support is tailored to the project and its needs at any given time.
Logistical Consultation + Support
- Site visits
- Stakeholder engagement
- Funding applications
- Preliminary design advice/planting plans/garden design
- Community Engagement
- On going email support
Staff advice support + training
One-to-one staff support + advice on adequate protocols in place to create a supportive working environment for both staff and volunteers and other beneficiaries.
Sustainable Horticultural Practises
- Climate + Ecological emergency mitigation:
- Planting for people + wildlife
- Irrigation + water management
- Sustainable soil management
Additional
Horticultural services
(NB Flexible depending on the size of site Core Landscapes is managing at any given time)
- Growing to order perennials, annuals or vegetable plant stock. Core Landscapes propagates and grows on ready for your project to plant out
- Guided tours for community members at Core Landscapes sites for ideas, demos, Q and A’s.
- Subsidised plant stock – we stock a range of resilient and wildlife friendly perennials, herbs, annuals and some shrubs and trees for sale.
Staff overview
Consultation advice support + training is delivered by staff with over 20 years experience of project management and over 10 years setting up and managing community wide growing projects for a wide range of beneficiaries, including 8 years setting up and running a garden project for a primary school.
Horticulturally trained at Capel Manor College Nemone Mercer has managed Core Landscapes for over 10 years across 4 different sites. She regularly supports other community growing projects in a wide range of areas.
Training for the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, Capital Growth Social Farms and Gardens and the Recovery College.
She also designs gardens for private clients and is formally from a visual arts background.
Nemone is passionate about connecting people with plants and the environment for the benefit of both and promoting the value of this work to stakeholders.
Consultation Rates: Flexible Daily and half day C/o Core Arts.
For further info contact: Core Landscapes Project Director Nemone Mercer nmercer@corearts.co.uk
“Thank you for your time yesterday. It was very useful to see how others do it. Such a nice space you have created with such a nice variety of plants.”
“What a truly wonderful project! Made me very happy to finally visit and see the amazing work here. An inspiration, and a little oasis for Homerton. Thank you for showing me around and offering kind advice and practical solutions for my team to consider.”
“I love this space and I’m really interested in the model used here in terms of a progressive path for participants as relevant to them. Very inspiring work. Thank you so much for your time.”
“Thank you so much for your help and advice… – invaluable!”
“I attended your session on working with volunteers and wanted to express my appreciation for your clarity and understanding of the challenges of community project work. It was a Masterclass in how to approach designing and running a project with care for all the elements involved.
The central point you make about the well-being of the facilitator being crucial to the successful achievement of project aims was jaw-dropping and also seems so obvious!! Just wanted to thank you.”
“…the inspiration we drew from Core Landscapes has been really important (in progressing our project).”
