Charlestown Organic Community Garden

Hi Everyone,
For the first time ever...we need HELP!

Picture of Charlestown Organic Community garden, taken on Sept 8th 2020


Our little garden was set up in 2017. We started with 2,000 euro which was awarded to us by GIY Ireland.  Enlisting the help of Charlestown Men's Shed, we successfully  managed to turn an overgrown wooded area into what is today a magical  space, next to St James's Church in Charlestown.

Today, we have a polytunnel, where we grow tomatoes, peppers, chillies, cucumber spinach,  courgettes as well as basil, fennel and dill.   Last year   we even grew melons and giant pumpkins. 

Outside we have raised beds, in which we grow potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, chard, kale, cabbage, lettuce, spinach and rhubarb. We also grow a plethora of   herbs outside also. These include: parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme oregano and marjoram. 

This year, we focused on bringing colour to the garden and to this end we planted flowers... LOTS of flowers  and Foróige painted our garden posts a myriad of different bright colours. Colour we feel is important in these dark times and of course it brings bees into the garden.  

So, who are we. Well we're a group of about 20 in all ranging in age from 12 to over 80 years of age.  We come from all walks of life and we're all different. But the one thing that we have in common is that we LOVE this garden. It's a space in which we laugh, chat, share ideas and support each other. 

So, why are we setting up this Go Fund Me page? Well, we need MONEY.  Up until now, we've always raised our own funds. We've built and sold garden furniture, kennels and bird boxes. We've sold baked goods and preserves at markets and  we manage to keep ourselves afloat each year.  For a small garden our expenses are many. The insurance with BHP insurance is over 300 euro a year. We spend  hundreds each year on weedblock, wood chippings, timber, compost, organic tomato feed and every couple of years we invest in topsoil and Envirogrind  https://www.envirogardenandhome.com/products/veggie-mix-vegetable-growing-medium 

This year, because of the pandemic, many of our fundraising ideas are non-runners. We wanted to 'bucket fund' but the Gardaí have said that it's not possible for the forseeable future. We had also discussed the possibility of a joint sponsored walk with Foróige, but that it seems is not possible either. 

It's really important to us that we keep our little garden going. We know that the garden brings pleasure, not just to us, but to everyone in the town and I know that people will want to help us survive and flourish.

We promise to be open and transparent with how your money is spent and we're appealing for help. We would be so grateful if you could help us... all donations, be they small or large will be fully acknowledged and very much appreciated. 
Many thanks for taking the time to read this

Kind regards, 
Members of Charlestown Community Garden