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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.
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 & Great Cornard
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.
Gardening In Mind
An outdoor programme to support mental wellbeing
Grow Your Future
An outdoor learning programme to help you gain skills and confidence
Together We Grow
Together We Grow is a project for refugees and asylum seekers
Grow Your Wellbeing
A community gardening project in Sudbury and Great Cornard
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
How to videos
Our helpful how to videos can show you how to make a lovely table decoration, how to grow sweet peas and also a bulb lasagne!
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 – 2.00pm
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 for volunteering Tuesdays & Thursdays
9am – 2.00pm
Plant Sales every Tuesday & Thursday – 10am-2pm
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
09:30am – 12.0onoon
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.
ActivSheds – open Thursdays and Fridays at 9:30am – 3:30pm
Meet the Staff
Susannah Robirosa
ActivGardens Development Manager
Ian Hirst
ActivGardens Operations Officer
Sam Grainger-Cowles
Gardening In Mind Project Officer
Phoebe Hyett
Grow Your Future Project Officer
Jane Bearham
Project Coordinator Grow Your Future Sudbury & Great Cornard (freelance)
ActivGardens is supported by Suffolk Community Foundation 
News from ActivGardens
Join us for our Autumn Plant Sale!
Where: ActivLives Chantry Walled Garden, Chantry Park, Ipswich IP2 0BS When: Tuesday 24th September 2024 from 10am to 2pm Access: Nearest parking is in Chantry Park car park, which is near the mansion off Hadleigh Road – location details at the bottom of this webpage:...
Join us for launch of our new range of plants!
Where: ActivLives Chantry Walled Garden, Chantry Park, Ipswich IP2 0BS When: Thursday 9th May 2024 from 10am to 2pm Access: Nearest parking is in Chantry Park car park, which is near the mansion off Hadleigh Road – location details at the bottom of this webpage:...
Pick out a plant in time for Mother’s Day at our Charity sale!
Where: Chantry Walled Garden, Chantry Park, Ipswich IP2 0BS When: Thursday 7 March 2024 from 10am to 2pm Access: Parking is in the Sue Ryder car park – location details at the bottom of this webpage: https://activlives.org.uk/activgardens/chantry-walled-garden/ Join...
Upcoming ActivGardens Events
Click on an event below to find out more details
