Volunteer Testimonials

I had been looking for local opportunities for a while but nothing stood out. Then the right search term was had in Google and the planting up website came up. It seemed to really align with my values, and be an excellent chance to learn and meet people, while doing some good in the community. An email, and a meet up for some work and food later, and I instantly felt welcome and at home, despite being very much a novice gardener. I was also wowed by Westbury arts centre and knew I wanted to keep coming, both for me and my son.

Having worked on my garden for the first time in any real sense over the last few years I had finally made it suitable for my son, however I found it mostly bereft of wildlife. Few bugs, few birds, and I kept reading about the devastating decline of our local fauna. I gradually began to refocus my garden to be a habitat for nature. Constructing bug hotels, wildlife ponds, mini wildlife meadows and lots of pollinator friendly plants. As a result I have seen a complete change and it has been a joy. But knowing the little I did of course showed me how much I was floundering. Also I wanted to make more of a difference than just in my own garden. Having sought out local groups I found out about permaculture and Planting Up, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to go along to with my son and learn and help. And here we are. 

Since June this year. (2023)

I have been introduced to the concept of permaculture, and surrounded by gardeners. I have learnt about common difficulties in a permaculture garden such as weeds, getting enough mulch and compost. As well as how delicious golden raspberries are, how to prune, maintain and manage overgrown areas. Build an effective and nature friendly path and also have broadened my own comfort zone by attending some community meet ups with the Westbury Arts Centre, and the Open University as a stakeholder which has proven fascinating and really exposed me to a wide range of people.

The health of the soil, rife with worms and life, with plants growing abundantly. Without the use of any pesticides or chemicals it proves it can be done. And the fact that we see so much life, including some rarer species in our plot has been extremely rewarding. Further we have also been able to use it as a platform to reach out to people. Being able to offer hops to a local amateur beer brewer, berries for jams, and a place to look and learn about for the local community.

It’s a lot of fun, everyone is learning and at different levels of ability. Everyone is welcome and the conversation and company is great. Plus the get together at the end of the session where we bring and share food is both delicious and a really nice way to get to know and meet each other in a truly lovely setting. Plus there’s plans to bring in more people to give talks about subjects around permaculture, composting and habitat etc. it’s going to be an exciting thing to be apart of as we bring the public in and hopefully bring some really broad benefit to our community and wildlife.

I became interested in the idea of permaculture, and forest gardens, after being introduced to Permaculture Magazine. I then decided to search online, to see what might be happening locally, and came across the group in Milton Keynes. 

I decided to get involved for a few reasons. Everything in Permaculture Magazine made sense to me, and I wanted to learn more. I also wanted to meet people with this same interest as me. This was soon after some difficult times, so I wanted to get out and about, and involved in activities that would make me feel good and healthy, both physically and mentally.

I started volunteering at the beginning of 2021, and continued for about a year, when I moved away from the area for work.

Just as I had hoped and imagined, I really feel like I benefitted in many ways from the group. I learnt a lot from other people, and I enjoyed being active outside. The group was quite diverse, and everyone had different skills, interests and knowledge to share. I also appreciated learning more about food and recipes, from our shared lunches.

I noticed at the garden that many of the plants grow very well, and there are many different insects. There were always many worms, and the soil was healthy. I really believe in the benefits of ground cover, ‘chopping and dropping’, choosing perennial plants, and disturbing the soil less. These are all things I learnt about through reading and attending regular sessions. 

I would recommend attending a few sessions, because the tasks can vary, you might meet some different people each time, and continuing over a period of time, you can experience the different seasons, with different plants and produce, too. I found everyone to be very friendly and enthusiastic to talk about a wide range of topics relating to nature, horticulture and the environment. Whether or not you already know many things, or this is a new interest, you would find something to enjoy and learn.

I got involved with Planting Up after hearing about the permaculture group at an XR MK meeting a few years ago. 

I got involved because I see nature regeneration as key to addressing the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.

It’s probably about 18 months ago or so since I first made contact. 

I’m so glad I have got involved: I have struggled to attend regularly this year for family reasons, but there is always a warm welcome and it’s a lovely group of friendly people who are very willing to share their knowledge. 

I have learned quite a lot from being in the group and enjoyed helping out at the plot at Westbury Arts centre, where I get a sense of contributing to something worthwhile – and beautiful! Westbury is also a lovely place to be, very welcoming too. 

What I’ve learned has led me to dabbling with a few ideas in my own garden, making it more sustainable.

I’d recommend Planting Up if you want to learn more about sustainable gardening/permaculture and be part of a friendly group, as well as get outside and be in nature.