Community Garden Gathering & Orchard Care Workshop – Bookings Open

Posted on: 31/01/2017
Community Garden Ieland Gathering and Orchard Care Workshop

Community Garden Ieland Gathering and Orchard Care Workshop

Registration and bookings are now open for the first of our 2017 events.

We’re starting the year by visiting County Offaly where CG Ireland are being hosted by Birr Community Growery. Kevin Dudley of Cloughjordan Farm will be demonstrating Orchard Care and we’re also including a Panel Discussion and Community Garden Q & A for all your community gardening queries. Here’s the info:

About The Growery

The Growery is a community based food commons project based in the heart of the midlands at Birr , in Co.Offaly.

As per the first principle of all commons, their model is simple, any who contribute can draw from the commons in due proportion . This initiative began as an effort to restore to good health of its founder after a 6 year bout of debilitating Crohns disease (this is Eimhin’s first year since 2008 not to be hospitalised – it’s working!)

Today the Growery team work with a number of sites welcoming Mental Health groups, Intellectual Disability groups, school groups, growers, gardeners, and the wider community to participate in their efforts to restore the conscious link between soil, gut, and soul. In 2017 they will open their first formally ‘social’ or ‘community’ garden. They are developing work with the Education and Training Board, Engineers Without Borders, and the Irish Archaeological Field School, to name a few. 2017 will be their third year.

Two Hour Orchard Care Workshop with Kevin Dudley

Kevin Dudley was the first dedicated orchard manager at Irish Seed Savers, and was able to build their traditional apple collection with his expertise in grafting from poor specimens of dying trees from around the country.

These days, Kevin is one of the full-time farmers at Cloughjordan Community Farm, and helps to oversee the hundreds of native apple trees in Cloughjordan Ecovillage. Working with the beautiful old trees in The Growery’s walled gardens, Kevin will be giving practical demonstrations and expert advice on pruning, training and all aspects of orchard maintenance, giving you the confidence to go home and work on your own trees this season.

Panel Discussion and Community Garden Q & A

By request, we’re adding a new feature to our gathering and workshop day – an expert panel Q & A session. Here’s your opportunity to ask any question you can think of that will help get your community out there and growing with you.

How Much?

If you’re planning on joining us we really need you to book your place for two reasons:

1: We need to know how many people will be there on the day to make sure there will be enough room… and enough tea!… for everyone.

2: CG Ireland does not, at the moment, receive any funding and all of our staff work as volunteers. Your contribution covers running costs for the day, and we couldn’t do it without you!

We like to make our events fair and affordable for everyone, so there are three pricing options:

The Standard Supporter – €25.00

This covers all of the running costs for the day, and includes the price of workshops, talks, a light lunch and all other refreshments.

The Skint Supporter – €5.00

We’d hate anyone to feel excluded just because they’re strapped for cash, so this option covers the cost of lunch and refreshments and you get all the talks and workshops for free. PLEASE, respect the hard work that the CG Ireland crew do and ONLY use this option if you genuinely can’t afford the full price.

The Super Supporter – €40.00

Maybe you’ve had a good week. Maybe you’re feeling a bit flush. Maybe you could consider paying a little extra to support not just this event, but all of the work that CG Ireland does all around the country, all through the year. If you can afford it we’d be eternally grateful for your contribution!

Want to help but can’t come along? You can always support our work by making a donation HERE

For more details, map, timetable and booking details, VIEW our Eventbrite Event Page HERE.

Hope to see you there!

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