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ActivLives is a local charity, which relies on grants, trusts, donations, fundraising activities, sponsorship & commissions to enable us to provide & develop our services across Ipswich & Suffolk.
OUR NEW STOCK IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER!
Please browse our online catalogue and get your order in early.
We can deliver direct to your door from May – so you can continue enjoy your garden safely during these challenging times.
People’s Community Garden
An outdoor community resource, where people of all ages, and from all walks of life, get together to develop and maintain an inspiring green space.
Chantry Walled Garden
A beautiful heritage walled garden and plant nursery, open to the public. Here, we offer volunteering and work experience opportunities, and have a garden especially designed for people with disabilities to carry on gardening!
Grow Your Community: Sudbury
Join us in Belle Vue Park and other green spaces around town to make
your community bloom! Make new friends, learn skills, get active, feel fitter and improve your environment in the process.
Current Services & Projects
Read about our current ActivGardens projects to see how you can get involved
ActivHives Apiary and Bee Garden
Get closer to nature in our wildlife areas and take part in beekeeping.
ActivSheds
A place to get creative, learn skills and work shoulder to shoulder on woodworking projects.
CRESS Pavilion
A community hub and information learning centre, where we hold our community market and pop-up cafe.
Heritage Garden
Lap up the atmosphere within the walls of our historical site – full of interesting features and beautiful plants.
Plant Nursery
A great place to learn industry skills, growing and tending plants, as well as buying our beautiful plants.
Bridging The Gap
Bridging The Gap is a project that brings the garden to care homes and hospital wards.
Carry On Gardening!
A project to enable older people to enjoy gardening – at our friendly, welcoming sites or in community and care settings.
Grow to Learn
Providing learning placements for older adults, family carers, and young people in transition with social care needs.
Grow Your Future
A structured learning and work experience programme for adults and young people aged 16+ who face barriers to work and/or a disadvantage in the jobs market.
Women's Skills Exchange
Bringing women together to learn and share skills.
Placements
Placements for young people and adults – learn skills, improve your health & wellbeing, socialise as part of a friendly team.
We offer a range of activities in the relaxed, welcoming environment of the People’s Community Garden, ActivSheds and Chantry Walled Garden, at a pace to suit the individual.
Being part of ActivGardens will enable you to learn practical skills, gain confidence, and develop friendships.
Programmes for schools
Exciting outdoor learning opportunities & skills development for young people.
We work with schools, colleges and other organisations to help develop young people – giving them a chance to learn hands-on, build confidence and self-esteem, and feel positive about their future.
Becoming a Volunteer
If you enjoy working with others in the great outdoors, then come and work at ActivGardens.
We have a variety of roles at our gardens and outreach sites, helping keep up with the work, contributing your skills, and supporting other people.
A Look Inside ActivGardens
Where You Can Find Us
The Peoples Community Garden
The People’s Community Garden is an outdoor community resource on a public allotment site, where people of all ages and abilities get together to learn, develop and maintain an inspiring green space including growing vegetables, sowing seeds, maintaining wildlife areas, and beekeeping.
Open Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
9am – 3.30pm
Chantry Walled Garden
Chantry Walled Garden is a heritage walled garden in a public park, with flower borders and vegetable-growing areas, as well as extensive glasshouses as part of our plant nursery.
Open Tuesdays & Thursdays
9am – 3.30pm
Plant Sales every Tuesday & Thursday.
Belle Vue Park
Grow Your Community – Sudbury provides opportunities for local people to get involved in community growing in and around Sudbury.
At Belle Vue Park every Thursday
10am – 12.30pm
Also available in other green spaces around Sudbury via booking.
CRESS Pavilion
Home to the CRESS Community Market & Cafe & ActivSheds.
The CRESS Pavilion is available to hire – contact us on 01473 345350 for more information.
CRESS Community Market – see events for next market
ActivSheds – open Fridays at 10am
Meet the Staff
Susannah Robirosa
ActivGardens Development Manager
Ian Hirst
ActivGardens Operations Officer
Lesley Hartley
ActivGardens Project & Site Co-ordinator
ActivGardens is supported by Suffolk Community Foundation 
News from ActivGardens
Covid Vaccine Drop-in clinics
Family Half Term Activity Day
On Friday 29 October 2021 at The People’s Community Garden will be open from 11am to 2pm for a fabulous Family Half Term Activity Day. Come and explore the garden, take part in fun and educational activities, celebrate our harvest of lovely produce and get closer to...
Supporting World Mental Health Day
ActivLives supports World Mental Health Day. Sunday 10 October is the day that we are being asked to support the campaign to help raise awareness of the importance of mental health, for all of us. One of the initiatives this year is the ‘Big Mental Health Get...
Upcoming ActivGardens Events
Click on an event below to find out more details
Grow Your Future at ActivGardens – for young people aged 16 to 24
In Sudbury and Great Cornard
If you are looking for a new direction or need a boost after the challenges of Covid-19 – how about taking part in a free outdoor learning programme at ActivGardens?
Grow Your Future will enable you to learn new skills and gain confidence on your way to further learning, training or employment. The 12-week programme will be based in Sudbury’s town park – you will learn horticultural skills, garden maintenance and the basics of parks upkeep. You may have a chance to work in other local areas – learning about nature conservation and environmentally friendly methods. Grow Your Future is for young people aged 16 to 24 who are unemployed or economically inactive, and not engaging in education or training.
- When and Where?
- Thursdays 16 September to 2 December from 10am to 2pm
- Belle Vue Park, Sudbury, CO10 2PP – Sudbury has good public transport links and the park is a short walk from the train station and bus station.
- We may sometimes work in other local parks and green spaces in Sudbury and Great Cornard – venue and timings to be arranged with the group.
This programme is part of Skills Connect – a Youth Pledge project funded by the European Social Fund. It is led by East Coast College in partnership with Access Community Trust, DIAL, Voluntary Norfolk and The Prince’s Trust.
If you would like to find out more, please contact Susannah mobile: 07530 407302 email: susannah@activlives.org.ukor ActivLives on 01473 345350
Grow Your Future at ActivGardens – for young people aged 16 to 24
The People’s Community Garden, Maidenhall Allotments, Halifax Road, Ipswich IP2 8RE
If you are looking for a new direction or need a boost after the challenges of Covid-19 – how about taking part in a free outdoor learning programme at ActivGardens?
Grow Your Future will enable you to learn new skills and gain confidence on your way to further learning, training or employment. The 12-week programme will be based in Sudbury’s town park – you will learn horticultural skills, garden maintenance and the basics of parks upkeep. You may have a chance to work in other local areas – learning about nature conservation and environmentally friendly methods. Grow Your Future is for young people aged 16 to 24 who are unemployed or economically inactive, and not engaging in education or training.
- When and Where?
- Friday 17 September to Fri 3 December from 09:30am to 2pm
- People’s Community Gardens, Maidenhall Allotments, Halifax Road, Ipswich IP2 8RE
This programme is part of Skills Connect – a Youth Pledge project funded by the European Social Fund. It is led by East Coast College in partnership with Access Community Trust, DIAL, Voluntary Norfolk and The Prince’s Trust.
If you would like to find out more, please contact Susannah mobile: 07530 407302 email: susannah@activlives.org.ukor ActivLives on 01473 345350