328 September 2022 - Gryffe Advertizer

Lochwinnoch Community Garden
The pandemic changed the emphasis to growing more vegetables and soft fruit
for the community and individuals with their own raised beds. In March 2020
Lochwinnoch Food Committee was established - this was a grassroots group
looking at local food provision. It included a Community Larder which delivered weekly food parcels for vulnerable and isolating households locally.
The Community Garden and the Larder started to work together with the Garden supplying fresh seasonal vegetables including potatoes, brussel
sprouts, kale, tomatoes, leeks, onions, cucumbers, courgettes, broccoli, beetroot, lettuce and more!!
In September 2021 the Food Committee joined local charity LEAP
and the Larder evolved in to a drop-in pantry for all. The aim of the
Larder is to provide dignified food provision, tackling food insecurity
in a rural village where the nearest food bank is ten miles away and
reducing the shocking waste of food going to landfill that was still
viable for consumption. A lot of the produce is surplus food from
supermarkets which is otherwise being thrown out by supermarkets.
But locally grown produce from the Community Garden is perfect as it
is food provided without food miles or packaging or carbon emissions
from industrial processes. The Larder and the garden continue to work
together from their neighbouring spaces
within the heart of the village. Later this year
the Larder will launch a Community Fridge.
The Larder now also has a Seed Library - this
is part of Diggin’ It, another LEAP project
which support people to grow their own
food from their own homes. The initiative
is about empowering people to grow their
own food, but it is also a wellbeing project
which focuses on the many benefits of
gardening for better mental health. The
idea being developed is to share skills for
community seed saving which will allow
local growers to stock the Library, and can
cultivate locally grown crops which have
evolved for the local climate. Seed could
also be shared across a network of Scottish
Seed Libraries as there are currently no
commercial producers of vegetable seed
in Scotland. The Community Garden and
community members can freely access
the Library for organic vegetable seeds. In
2022, the Library will also stock wildflower
seeds which will help support biodiversity
and pollinating insects.
Next Deadline...
#329 October 2022: 14th September
Bridge of Weir
Hillwalkers
It has been a busy few weeks for
the BoW group. Mid July saw
eight of us in the Austrian Alps at
Mayrhofen for a week of walking at
altitude in searing heat under clear
blue skies. The group managed
six walking days and managed
to party a bit at night in our best
tradition.
Upon return to home shores, a smaller party went back down to the Borders where the highest peak, in the Southern Uplands, The Merrick, was climbed
on a day of fine views.
Into August and a very large turnout walked from Loch Lomond to Arrochar and Loch Long via Glen Loin. That walk was a bit swampy in places and we
wound up the day with refreshments in the front garden of one of our favourite howffs, the Village Inn in Arrochar.
Good to see the new members joining in and new faces who wish to stretch their legs are most welcome. We are a pretty sociable bunch!
local community, local business, local life ......... 42