An Uncertain Year at Gorgie Farm Community Gardens

Statement from Gorgie Farm Garden Volunteer Group August 2024:
"We are a group of volunteers that have been maintaining the well-loved Gorgie Farm site and gardens during the past year.
After the closure of the farm we reached out to EVOC and as a result of our discussions we were able to return to our community growing space, albeit this was not without its challenges.
We have worked tirelessly to keep the site from overgrowing; removing young tree seedlings from the cobbles or other tenacious weeds that have threatened to overgrow paths and buildings. We’ve also been growing vegetables, tending to the soil and implementing other ecological gardening techniques that have significantly benefited the biodiversity of the site. It is a dear piece of land to many and we would be absolutely devastated to lose access.
We want to be acknowledged as a group of dedicated volunteers who have continued to serve the farm despite its uncertain future. This uncertainty has affected the mental health of some of our members significantly these past months.
In addition, we would like to express our appreciation for the project manager Suzanne Campbell who has helped us to sustain our cherished community garden. She has gone above and beyond to include us in the farm project. However, we do not feel that she has been sufficiently supported in trying to action short-term plans.
Since the fire, we are disheartened to hear that we cannot access the site until it is declared safe for us to continue gardening, this is yet another challenge and could mean the loss of many of our crops we’ve worked so hard to grow depending on how quickly these issues are addressed.
Support the community, share our story and watch our film.
We look forward to getting back soon."
Illustrations and drawings by volunteers
First two songs, filming and editing by Johanna Koen
Other sound used from KZbin Sound Library