Justine Greening MP Opens SW18’s Green the Grid Community Planting Day
An ambitious community project creating London’s first Front Garden
Friendly neighbourhood
Volunteers join Justine Greening MP, Barry Roe of Rotary Putney, Charles Runcie, Chair of the local residents association (SGRA) and Cllr Guy Humphries
Putney MP Justine Greening showed her support for the scheme by opening a community street planting day Saturday (6 October) in
Wandsworth’s Southfields “Grid”.
The Planting day, has been assisted by a grant
from Wandsworth Borough Council’s Grant Fund, and along with Councillor Guy Humphries, local residents from the '
Green the Grid' project and Charles Runcie, Chair of the Southfields Grid Residents Association.
Nina Kowalska, Resident of the Grid & Chair, Front garden Friendly - Green the Grid told this website: "Green the Grid has got the community together turning grey into green by planting our streets and front gardens which not only looks blooming beautiful, encourages wildlife and improves air quality, but also, for many neighbors by street planting together they are meeting each other for the first time".
Example of street planting in the “Grid”
Neighbours in the Southfields “Grid” took to the streets to plant tree bases as part of the
Front Garden Friendly – Green the Grid project to make the “Grid” a greener place to live by creating blooming
beautiful streets and front gardens.
The residents who had signed up to the scheme, were given free planting bundles to plant around tree bases in the
street including selected plants and bulbs suitable
for autumn planting, such as hebes, creeping phlox and grape hyacinths.
Rain didn't stop neighbours joining in and making friends
Claire, a Grid residents said: "My two little girls loved planting up their patch this afternoon. So nice to see them excited to be outside, learning about flowers and taking pride in the community we live in and wanting to make it better. It’s such a brilliant initiative and just wanted to say thank you and we truly appreciate it!".
Over 150 local residents have committed in Green the Grid by adopting tree bases to plant, and they look
after their trees in an on-going basis, by writing their names on flags placed in tree bases.
A planting audit of the SW18 “Grid” highlighted that, of the 500 trees in the 12 streets that makes up the area, there
are over 200 tree bases that can be planted and many of these were planted by residents on Saturday.
The planting day will also benefited from a
donation of crocus bulbs from Rotary Putney as part of their Purple4Polio campaign.
What is Green Grid?
The Green the Grid project is run by local residents and is part of the Southfields Grid Residents Association. Green
the Grid organises community planting days, provides practical gardening advice and raises awareness of the
benefits of a greener environment.
Through increasing planting in the area Green the Grid aims to encourage
wildlife, improve air quality and reduce flooding risk, as well as increase people’s wellbeing and sense of community.
images: Isabelle J Photography
October 10, 2018