Support County Wicklow Gadrens says de Burca

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Support County Wicklow Gadrens says de Burca

Thursday, November 22 2007

Community Gardens must be supported in County Wicklow

Senator de Burca says that public interest in Community Gardens is growing
rapidly across the country as these gardens answer a need in local
communities for food grown locally and organically, and also as an area for
wildlife.

"We have a very promising model of a Community Garden in Baltinglass which
was established by the Tearmann Community Organic Gardening and Wildlife
Committee" says de Burca. "The garden involves one and a half acres of
parish land in Baltinglass on which there is a wild flower area, a woodland
area with meandering paths, an orchard area with a variety of fruit trees,
eight raised vegetable beds, a wetland for frogs and water life, and a
number of compost areas and wormeries".

According to de Burca, the development of these Community Gardens is a
response to a growing public awareness of the need to promote greater
self-sufficiency in local food production, as well as providing habitats
for wildlife and developing a sense of community spirit and pride.

She has called on Wicklow County Council to support groups involved in
establishing Community Gardens by providing them with some council land on
which to develop the gardens. She has also called on statutory and other
local funding bodies to give favourable consideration to funding
applications by groups who are developing Community Gardens, as she says
they are an important community resource and will become more so in the
future.

"Six groups are involved in the Baltinglass Community Garden at the moment"
says de Burca. "These groups involve the local Primary School, Secondary
School, people from the local Special Needs Centre, the local Active
Retirement Group, an Adult VEC Group, and a Women's Group. I believe that
there is a plan to have local pre-school groups involved as well".

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