People’s Community Garden

What is the People’s Community Garden?

A place where people can make friends and learn skills, as well as contribute their own ideas, to make the garden truly a people’s garden.

Down the Garden Path

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 develop and maintain an inspiring green space. It is a place where you can find your niche and work at your own pace, as part of a friendly and dedicated team. It is a place where you can make friends and learn skills, as well as contribute your ideas, to make it truly a people’s garden.

ActivGardens is supported by the Suffolk Community Foundation.

OPENING HOURS

Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:00am until 2:30pm

The garden is divided into different areas, offering a range of gardening experience:

Grow vegetables on our traditional plots
Help make the Sensory Garden bloom
Tend the Herb bed full of culinary and medicinal herbs
Sow seeds in the polytunnels
Maintain our food forest full of lovely old East Anglian varieties
Get active for nature in our wildflower meadows and wildlife areas
Cook outdoors with our fire pit and pizza oven
If you have mobility issues or disabilities, you can enjoy gardening at our raised beds and accessible areas. Please note, you will need to attend with your required level of support.

There are a range of opportunities on offer at the People’s Community Garden

Projects and Services

Grow Your Future at the People’s Community Garden – join our FREE 12-week courses

Find out more here

Grow Well Eat Well – get involved in a local food project to grow, cook and best of all – eat!

Find out more here

Location: The People’s Community Garden, Maidenhall Allotments, Halifax Rd, Ipswich, IP2 8RE

The garden has its own pedestrian gate – from Halifax Road, walk down the roadway (not accessible to vehicles from either end), keeping the allotment site on your left and Bourne Vale Social Club on your right – the gate is a short walk along the pavement on the left hand side. From Wherstead Road, look out for Orwell’s furniture shop and turn into the roadway opposite, which leads under the railway bridge (if you are in a car, park between the trees – if you go under the bridge you may get stuck or have a long way to reverse), walk up the roadway, pass the main allotment gates, and our pedestrian gate will be on your right.

Reaching us by public transport – Buses:

Ipswich Buses

Suffolk Passenger Transport

Getting involved

For more information contact ActivGardens Development Manager susannah@activlives.org.uk mobile 07530 407302 or ActivLives Office 01473 345350

I really like the social aspect of it, meeting and speaking to people is a big deal for me. At my worst I wasn’t leaving the house. I like the physical aspect too – it helps with my sleep patterns. Getting stuck in and feeling you’ve achieved something is really good. It’s a relaxed environment, there’s no pressure.

People’s Community Garden male volunteer, aged 28

Grow Your Future has been a lifeline to me. From feeling mentally stuck to the point it has been disabling – not leaving my house, limited interaction with people, high anxiety leaving me incapable of trying anything new and unfamiliar- I have come to look forward to Tuesdays, to the point it has impacted my life massively. Being outdoors, no matter the weather has aided my progress in improving my mental and physical health.