The Growing Places project aims to facilitate conversations in three different and geographically connected neighbourhoods of Southampton; St Denys, Bitterne Park and one other yet to be decided. The conversations will be about celebrating existing projects, people and places and imagining a new future in the fallout of the Covid19 pandemic and with the planet at heart. The project is running in parallel to Bitterne Park Growing Places, a project getting Bitterne Park growing food this year.

Growing Places recognises the power of food, growing things and connecting to nature in bringing people together and improving health and wellbeing. We will also grow connections, resilience and community power in the places we are working. We hope to spark similar projects, where people, place and the planet are equally valued, in other areas of the city.

We are working with other organisations that have been active and engaged in positive social change in Southampton in the past. The Southampton Collective, who are a social enterprise that has ‘people at the centre, people together, achieving their hopes for the city’, are part funding this project. October Books will provide written resources and inspiration to communities though talks and events. We are also working with So:Linked, local mutual aid networks, local councillors and city Council and will link to Southampton’s City of Culture bid and Southampton National Park City ideas as appropriate.

If you would like to find out more, please follow the links:

• Imagine St Denys
• Imagine Bitterne Park
• Imagine where else we might go
• Bitterne Park Growing Places
• The finances

The majority of funding for this project comes from The National Lottery Community Fund and is distributed by the Transition Network via their Transition: Bounce Forward initiative. There are 112 other projects around the country that have also been awarded funding. 

The project lead for this work is Clare Diaper, past chair of Transition Southampton,  St Denys resident and someone with a passion for co-creating projects with people, place and our planet at heart. To get involved or get in touch, fill out the form below, Clare will be working on the project on Mondays and Fridays!