Monitoring & Evaluation
The Southill Hub does not keep details of the numbers of people using the garden there is no “sign in” book or other means of registration. There is also a reluctance to introduce such as system in case it discourages community members from using the garden. As a group we respect that decision but not being able to assess current level of use of the garden makes it difficult for us to produce evidence of the true impact of our project. Having discussed this with the centre manager we agreed to do a head count at our next event and to gather information by way of a short survey see appendix 3
We have been and would like to continue to collaborate with the Southill Hub on their planned events. We also planned to host an event of our own possibly in March or at Easter time.
At this event we planned to get some feedback from the local community about the garden and events there. What we would like to find out
1. Do they use the Community Centre regularly and would they come out to the garden? 2. Would they go to an event if it were on?
3. What kind of event would they like to see there?
4. Would there be anything they would like to see added to the garden?
Having worked on the project for several months we reviewed our original results- based plan and impact statement.
Revised Results Based Plan
Summary:
Community development is the country’s foundation. We would not be successful without collaboration with South Hill Hub and lecturer’s support. Now the positive and trust relationship build in with organizer South Hill Hub. Green Team focus on a long-term plan which can sustainability develop in the South Hill Community garden. The green team project provides the social active centre through the green gardening project. The community promote people of all age’s wellbeing, share knowledge, empower local communities, and provide social support as well as to form new friendships with like-minded people.
Revised Impact Statement
What impact we can expect from our involvement in the community garden in Southill hub? • We, the CWELL green team, have a restored, sustainable, and environmentally friendly community garden as our project, because we believe passionately in the positive impact that it will have on both the physical and mental welfare of the local community. The garden is there and always available to those who want to visit.
• The opportunity is there for individuals to come and relax. They can socialize and meet neighbours and friends. This would have a positive impact on their mental health, combating isolation and loneliness.
• Having a space in the community where there is a relaxed atmosphere, can help to foster the development of a community identity and spirit. It can bring diverse sections of society together, where they can work and learn from each other and make friends.
Green CWELL Revised Results Based Plan
Monitoring and Evaluation – How will you Review your Progress
Situational Analysis Inputs Activities/Output Short Term Outcomes Long Term Outcomes
Disconnect in most urban communities.
People love nature to do garden work. But if you living in an apartment, you couldn’t enjoy the garden fun.
We discuss the project: recycle station, youth club community.
Final CWELL Green Team engage with South Hill Hub Community Centre.
The project needs the team member to involve a practice community worker.
Green Team contacted the city council to look at the resource, visit the Tipperary community garden.
Team Meeting every Friday in Youth Club Centre
Phone contact the South Hill manager.
Sign the agreement with South Hill Hub Community Centre.
Planning the Christmas reindeer theme family garden visit.
Team members interactive with the visitors at all the event.
The flyer made by the South Hill Hub, the green team as collaboration.
The team contribute the reindeer slot. Decoration for the garden trees, and gift for the event.
The kid's jewellery workshop hold successful in the Valentine’s Day 2020
So far, we plan during school break holiday will involve the CWELL Green Theme activities in the South Hill Hub.
Good collaboration builds and looking forward to continuous improvement in the garden.
The green team recognized by the South Hill Hub organization and local resident.
Attract all age of people walk into the community centre
Education children garden knowledge. Provide garden practice opportunity.
Looking business sponsor for the community.
Improve the garden facility and education for the younger kids and encourage family involvement.
People enjoy the community in leisure time have communication, food, exercise, training.
People aware to care about the community and interactive each other.
Green team the theme that with the community people benefit from physical and mental health.
Encourage corporate social responsibility.
Continues provide garden Education
It would be a focal point for community events and can provide a place to deal with any social issues that arise. It would also be an investment in the future generation, helping to build community leaders.
Opportunity to learn
• There has been a decline in the health of city dwellers due to a combination of factors, including lack of exercise, stressful lifestyles, air pollution, poor nutrition, and lack of education regarding their health. In having a place like a community garden, people can do light to moderate exercise, this is known to be beneficial for mental health as well as physical health. Anyone who works outdoors in a recreational capacity experiences a reduction in stress levels. A garden is an environmentally friendly area where people can enjoy nature and get a break from the noise and pollution that is part of everyday life in the city. Visitors to the garden can learn about horticulture and sustainable environmental practices such as composting and recycling, which they may be able to adapt to their own homes and educate their families about too.
• If someone has learned how to grow something that they can eat, they may want to do that in their own garden as well, which could supply them with a source of fresh, organic, nutrient rich foods.
Sustainability
• The full impact of having a community garden, which is welcoming and accessible to all, will only become known over a long period of time. It takes a lot of hard work and skill to build a garden, apart from the fact that funding is needed for equipment, plants, and seeds. Events are held regularly to raise awareness of the garden and to ensure that the local population feel it is their place and feel welcome there. However, we believe that the people living in Southill deserve to have a beautiful garden to enjoy, socialize and relax in, and also to reap the benefits of their own work as they engage with the community in their own garden. How do we know that our project is a success?
• We could have all the work done, and have a beautiful community garden available to all, but we want to see that it is being used. Our target, in this case, is the local community of Southill, as the surrounding areas. We would like the local people to engage with the garden more than ever. We can tell from the events that we held at Christmas and Valentine’s Day that people are willing to engage, particularly if they have children. Naturally, there is going to be an increased footfall for occasions such as these. However, we would hope that the engagement with the garden would be ongoing. This could be measurable only to a certain extent, and over a long period of time. We could organise a survey, but feel that may be counterproductive, that it would put people off coming to the garden if they felt they were going to be questioned about it. We would prefer a more casual approach, where we could chat with visitors and ask them what they think, what they want to see happening with the garden or any events they would like. This could give us something to work towards and, more importantly, give the people who use the garden some input into future plans there.
Conclusion - How Covid 19 has affected our project
Our project, which is aimed at restoring the garden at the Southill Hub and increasing the awareness and engagement of the local community, has been massively impacted by the arrival of Covid 19.
We wanted to use the garden to bring people together, by holding community events and making the garden a more attractive place, where people would like to come to relax and socialise with others. The main aim being to combat social isolation and loneliness, and generally increase the health and wellbeing of visitors.
We are now living in a changed world, where social distancing has become the norm, with the advent of Covid 19. Now, people are being told to stay apart from each other, not to leave their homes, not to go to work or school, and only to go out for essential journeys. Our senior citizens are concerned for their health, many are cocooning in their own homes. We are all being encouraged to have as little physical contact with others as is humanly possible, and generally we are doing our best to adhere to that.
Without a doubt, this is affecting the project we were planning. Community centres are closed everywhere so it is impossible for us to go to the garden to do anything. By now, we should be well into our work there. This is the time of year for planting and growing, and with the good weather we’ve had, I know we would have spent many hours at work in the garden already, and would have made a considerable difference to it.
From the start of our project taking roots to the lockdown we had been gaining momentum in our action to promote the Southill Hub Community Garden. At Christmas we helped with Santa’s Grotto and designed an activity which involved feeding Santa’s reindeers. Valentine’s Day was another date, where we had a jewellery making session. The feedback from these two activities was positive. This encouragement was a boost and an incentive in moving forward in our future plans.
Our most immediate plan was to host an Easter Egg Hunt for the local children during the Easter holidays but unfortunately this had to be cancelled. We had hoped that during this event, we could have asked parents or any other visitors to answer some questions for us about the garden, including how often they visit and what they would like to see happening there in the future etc. The results received could have helped us tailor future events to entice more involvement.
We had started to build a rapport with the staff of The Hub especially the Manager and Community Gardener. It has taken time to build an affinity up to this point. Working alongside each other requires a workable relationship. Users of the centre were becoming aware of our comings and goings. We were becoming familiar to and with the people there. Like any absence it will take time again to get to where we were before this virus arrived.
We were also looking forward to seeing a change in the garden itself, we hoped that part of the garden could be used for growing herbs specifically. We also wanted to grow more plants that are attractive to butterflies and bees, including colourful flowering plants. If funding allowed for the bench to be repaired or replaced and for some child friendly garden tools to be purchased, we would have made that a priority. It feels now as if none of these things will happen for a long time and it is very disheartening. We hope that in the future we will have the opportunity to return to the garden in Southill Hub to help out on a regular basis, to enhance the garden and to successfully increase the number of local people enjoying the garden,
All over the news and various other media, accounts of how the mental/physical well-being of people is being affected is a daily occurrence. While there have been some positives to come out of this time, there are many who have had a negative experience. Social isolation and loneliness to name just two. When this virus has been curbed, the community garden can become a haven for reconnection to the wider community again. We can play our part in this by staying committed and being ready to re-engage with the Southill Hub Community Garden as soon as Covid 19 allows.