The Wildlife Trusts, Women’s Institute (WI), Garden Organic and Incredible Edible are celebrating nature-friendly food growing efforts pledged across over 3,500 gardens nationwide. 

The two-year UK-wide Coronation Gardens project was supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

A lasting legacy to King Charles’ love of nature and all things harvest, Coronation Gardens for Food and Nature has been working to empower local communities to breathe life back into their local greenspaces and grow sustainable food since 2023. 

As a result, over 3,500 Coronation Gardens have now been pledged across the UK where local people have been growing everything from vegetables and herbs to pollinator-friendly plants and fruit trees. The five features of a Coronation Garden are:

• Grow healthy food to eat
• Plant pollinator-friendly blooms
• Create a water feature
• Leave a patch of long grass or pile of logs
• Go chemical and peat free

Liz Heard, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Communities and Nature Manager says: 

“Thanks to National Lottery players, special gardens across the UK will continue to grow from strength to strength, with a host of ideas and advice now available on the Coronation Gardens for Food and Nature website. From attracting bees and butterflies to your garden to growing windowsill microgreens, these simple guides promise to provide all the inspiration you need to get started.

“With an estimated twenty-four million gardens in the UK - which make up nearly 30% of the total urban area - plus millions of balcony and window ledge plant pots, the power of nature-friendly food growing initiatives is huge.”

In this region, for the past three years, Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Nextdoor Nature programme has collaborated with communities around the region on a number of food growing and allotment projects in addition to wildlife gardening and community orchard work.

Research carried out by the Coronation Gardens project found significant benefits for community well-being, nature restoration, and local economies as a result of these efforts. 

The project’s report calls on councils across the nation to increase their ambition and support for local food growing efforts in the hope that even more community initiatives can take root nationwide. It is available to read at www.wildlifetrusts.org/nature-health-and-wild-wellbeing#evidence