What's on?
Norwich green spaces maintained by volunteers are open to visitors throughout the weekend. Some are even hosting special activities. These cover a wide range and include guided walks, planting seeds, and hands-on activities for children.
Where?
Over 25 green spaces are taking part, from woods to verges, from Grade II listed parks to allotments. We’re using what3words, a system of three word codes to mark the exact location of each one. Go to w3w.co to see where they are.
This is the map of the Norwich Community Gardens Festival. Enable the sidebar from the top right corner to see recommended routes.Scroll further down for descriptions of the routes.
City Centre
Walk through the city centre to experience some of the green spaces taking part in the Norwich Community Gardens Festival. 🌱 Grapes Hill Community Garden (w3w: opens.goats.diary) will be running guided tours of the garden on Saturday 26 April at 11am and 1pm and a Family Garden Group on Sunday 27 April, 12pm - 3pm. 🌱 Strangers' Hall (w3w: spots.finely.curving) will be open on Sunday 27 April between 1pm and 4pm. 🌱 Upper Goat Lane (w3w: anyway.blunt.fame) 🌱 Oasis (w3w: lime.gentle.smooth), 🌱City Hall (w3w: wakes.moon.bubble) and the 🌱Railway Station (w3w: fund.lots.jolly) are always open.
Mile Cross
Wander through Mile Cross during the Norwich Community Gardens Festival and see a small sample of the green spaces maintained by the MX Green Hearts in the area. Meet the volunteers at 🌱 Bacton Road Community Orchard (w3w: cherry.ideal.lists) on both days of the festival between 10am and 12pm, or pop in at any other time and enjoy this beautiful, serene space. See the progress being made at the 🌱 Burges Road Community Garden (w3w: wonderfully.fake.edge) in turning a sunny but steep hillside into an accessible space - Saturday 26 April between 11am and 2pm. Activities here include: creating wildlife houses, sowing seeds and plenty of cake! Join The Common Lot on a working day at 🌱 The Common Plot (w3w: orbit.others.strong), on Saturday 26 April between 11am and 2pm. See the new orchard and the beginning of the wildflower meadow that the🌱 Friends of Sloughbottom park have been planting. Sloughbottom Park (w3w: desk.apple.spices) is open all weekend.
What3Words
Norwich-over-the-Water
Experience Norwich Over the Water (and a bit of Norwich-back-across-the-water) for the Norwich Community Gardens Festival.
Start by walking along the Marriott's Way (w3w: glass.posts.misty) and find ruins of the old Norwich City Station in 🌱 Train Wood. This area is maintained by the Friends of Train Wood and Marriott's Way.
Cross the river at Anderson's Meadow and head into 🌱 Wensum Park to see the newly restored island (w3w: transit.frogs.test). TCV - The Conservation Volunteers will be there between 11am and 3pm hosting a bug hunt and a "know your trees" activity.
From there, head to 🌱 Waterloo Park (w3w: glass.posts.misty), a grade II listed green space. The Friends of Waterloo Park will be there between 10pm and 12:30pm and the park is open sunrise to sunset every day.
Your next stop is 🌱 Shipstone Road Community Garden where you can meet the volunteers who have been taking care of this space. They'll be there on Saturday 26 April between 12pm and 2pm.
Head back towards the city centre vis🌱 The Oasis by Fye Bridge (w3w: lime.gentle.smooth)
We’re using what3words for the Norwich Community Gardens Festival, a system of three word codes to mark the exact location of green spaces when postcodes are not enough. Go to https://w3w.co to see where they are.
West Norwich
NR4 and NR5 are taking part in the Norwich Community Gardens Festival. On Saturday 26 April, you can experience both one of the oldest and most established community gardens in Norwich and one of the newest. Come to 🌱 Sustainable Living Initiative at Marlpit Community Garden (w3w: loves.timing.gained) between 10am and 2pm for fun free family activities all about growing food sustainably. Having just secured permission to use the land a few weeks ago, 🌱 NR5 Community Hub are starting a new community garden just across the street from the West Earlham Library . They will be there between 9:30am and 12:30pm. On Sunday 27 April, head to the 🌱 @ueaofficial grounds (w3w: vast.museum.badge) for a wildlife treasure hunt between 10am and 1pm and a guided walk on the campus ecology at 2pm. 🌱 Eaton Park (w3w: daisy.laws.lung), one of Norwich's most beautiful historic parks, is open throughout the weekend. The Friends of Eaton Park meet regularly for gardening in the park and organising events.
Kett's Hill
Kett's Hill is best on the Sunday of the Norwich Community Gardens Festival - 27 April. There's not much parking in this area and the distances are larger than usual so consider visiting these places by bike. While the scenic 🌱 Kett's Heights (w3w: pure.family.summer) is open all weekend, on Sunday the Friends of Kett's Heights will be hosting a drop-in day between 10am and 2pm. And, if you'd rather access the garden step-free, head to the entrance off Ladbrooke Place. From there, head north to your next stop. Experience some of Mousehold Heath along the way, including the view over the city from Britannia Road and the car-free Gilman Road. 🌱 Mousehold Community Garden (w3w: pull.hops.successes) is a newly established community allotment. Meet the volunteers and find out their plans between 1pm and 3pm. Last stop on this route is 🌱 Branford Green (w3w: lands.layers.copper) - stop by to see an impressive bug hotel.
Lakenham
Lakenham is taking part in the Norwich Community Gardens Festival with plenty to do both Saturday 26 April and Sunday 27 April. On the Saturday, check out 🌱 Lion's Den (w3w: march.friend.strong) 10am to 1pm. Plant a sunflower, learn how to attract wildlife in your garden and learn a bit of local history. Further along Lakenham Way, members of Wild Lakenham will welcome you to 🌱 Cooper Lane Community Orchard (w3w: stage.leave.bronze) 10 am to 1pm. Learn how to whittle a spoon, have some refreshments and have a look around guided by volunteers. The orchard will be open on the Sunday too but Wild Lakenham members will not be there. On the Sunday, members of 🌱 The Feed's Community Garden (w3w: poppy.above.seat) will be at Jubilee Park between 12pm and 2pm - it's a new project so this is a good time to find out what the plans are. 🌱 The Friends of Dandy Wood (w3w: casual.ozone.dogs) will be on site to greet you from 10am to 2pm and help you explore these woods on the site of an old chalk mine with many banks, hills and hollows. There is parking here despite the Norwich City Council website saying otherwise.
Saturday Bike Ride
🌱 Grapes Hill Community Garden and 🌱 Sustainable Living Initiative at Marlpit Community Garden are both hosting free family activities that day - visit both and a couple of other places along the way by cycling from one to the other along the beautiful Marriott's Way.
There is some cycling along main roads at both ends of this route.
At 🌱 Grapes Hill (w3w: opens.goats.diary) have a go at making a plant pot, sow seeds, have a hot drink and go on a guided tour of the garden which starts at 11am.
From there, make your way to the 🌱 Marriott's Way and stop by Train Wood to notice the ruins of old train station infrastructure. This area is maintained by the Friends of Train Wood and Marriott's Way.
You can head straight towards Hellesdon, and pop into 🌱 Sloughbottom Park (w3w: desk.apple.spices) for a few minutes along the way to see the new orchard the Friends of Sloughbottom park have recently planted.
At the other end of the route, at 🌱 Sustainable Living Initiative - Marlpit Community Gardens (w3w: loves.timing.gained), you'll find stalls with activities from Norwich Science Festival, Sustrans and Sustainable Food Norwich between 10am and 2pm.
Or, if you want to see more along the way, or have some cake, take a detour through Mile Cross and head towards 🌱 Burges Road Community Garden (w3w: wonderfully.fake.edge) - this involves more cycling along a main road and going up some steps. Once there, you'll meet the group of volunteers that have been working hard to turn a sunny but steep hillside into an accessible space and learn how to make homes for wildlife with them. They'll be there between 11am and 2pm.
Also in Mile Cross, at the Valpy Avenue Allotments, 🌱 The Common Lot will be working on The Common Plot (w3w: orbit.others.strong), a community allotment, between 11am and 2pm.
Let It Grow
🌱"Let It Grow!" is the community garden at St Francis Church, Heartsease, Norwich (w3w: vine.model.flight) and they're taking part in the Community Gardens Festival next week - visit them on the afternoon of Saturday 26 April for a "wilding" day.
Places of Sanctuary
Community gardens in Norwich are also places of sanctuary, part of Norwich City of Sanctuary - the volunteers who manage them have worked hard to make these spaces accessible and welcoming to refugees and asylum seekers:
🌱 Waterloo Park (w3w: glass.posts.misty), a grade II listed green space. Meet the Friends of Waterloo Park who will be there on Saturday 26 April between 10pm and 12:30pm, or visit the park at any other time during the day - it's open sunrise to sunset.
🌱 Grapes Hill Community Garden, Norwich (w3w: opens.goats.diary) will be running guided tours of the garden on Saturday 26 April at 11am and 1pm and a Family Garden Group on Sunday 27 April, 12pm - 3pm.
🌱 Strangers' Hall (w3w: spots.finely.curving) will be open on Sunday 27 April between 1pm and 4pm.
