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► SCAN - Guerrilla Gardening Group

When : Throughout the academic year – flexible times to suit

Where : Newcastle City Centre, local residents garden's, Exhibition and Brandling Park (a stones throw from the University!)

What : SCAN - Guerrilla Gardening Group

The term "guerrilla" may bring to mind a small band of armed soldiers, moving in the dead of night on a stealth mission. In the case of guerrilla gardening, the soldiers are planters, the weapons are shovels, and the mission is to transform an abandoned lot into a place of beauty. Once an environmentalist's nonviolent direct action for inner-city renewal, this approach to urban beautification is spreading to all types of people in cities around the world.

These modern-day Johnny Appleseed's perform random acts of gardening, with the property owner's prior knowledge or permission. Typical targets are vacant lots, railway land, underused public squares, and back alleys. The concept is simple, whimsical and has the cheeky appeal of being a not-quite-legal call to action. Dig in some soil, plant a few seeds, or mend a sagging fence -- one good deed inspiring another, with win-win results all around.

The project will be a fascinating challenge for older and young people to explore the extent to which guerrilla gardening can be used as a strategy for community engagement.
Armed with trowels, seeds, and vision, the idea is to transform uncared for gardens in our local communities and secure a commitment from owners, tenants of multi occupancy households to maintain and upkeep their transformed gardens.

The aim is to create an urban adventure at the threshold of nature and culture where older and younger people meet face to face to discuss and participate directly in the remaking of their own communities. These guerrilla gardeners will aim to create new plots in the community of Jesmond.

In addition SCAN are committed to taking part in the the ongoing redevelopment of Exhibition Park. Initial jobs that need doing involve clearing areas of the park in preparation for planting shrubs and flowers and later on volunteers can be involved in the building of the wetland lake area, boardwalks, pond dipping jetties and islands. We particularly need regular volunteers who can maintain the senosry garden in the park. With transport not being an issue we will not necessarily have to limit the visits to a Wednesday afternoon, as long as we can get a group together then there will be tasks for us to get on with. This is a good chance to get out of the concrete jungle that is Newcastle City Centre, meet new people and get some fresh air.

Requirements : A little experience of weeding, planting and digging is necessary, but this is very simple and above all a willingness to get stuck in and get dirty is desired! The nature of this project is a sociable one whilst requiring a certain amount of physical graft.

All transport and equipment will be provided.