Exciting update alert!
As some of you may remember, our 2021 group of Young Grant Makers funded a Global Generation project to create a floating garden, created by young people.
Tamanna Ali and Lisa Robinson recently met with Nadire and Martina from Global Generation on the Floating Garden to find out how they have been getting on.
The Barge started life as a floating cinema and is now slowly being transformed, thanks to designs developed by young people and architects in 2020, into a creative, inclusive and welcoming space for young people and the wider community.
Islington young people have led on this project from the very beginning, starting with the design process in Summer 2020. Since then local young people have been learning about and co-designing activities that focus on the climate emergency, food growing and connecting to nature in the middle of the city. Our project proposal builds on the work done to date and will grow the group of young people involved.
Laura Price, Global Generation
After a longer-than-planned winter hibernation, we find the Floating Garden moored at Granary Square in King’s Cross (just over the York Road border in Camden!). We were delighted to hear all about the work so far from Nadire and Martina of Global Generation, who highlight plans to run a number of workshops in August 2022 to engage local young people and transform it even further. The workshops will cover several activities to create some fantastic natural features on the barge, like bug hotels, cyanotype prints, and weaving with trees to make deck railings. Planting plans have been delayed due to the prolonged dry weather and will hopefully start in September. Global Generation will be holding volunteer planting days from September onward, so if you are interested please contact Laura on laura.price@globalgeneration.org.uk
To see the floating garden for yourself, pop down to Coal Drops Yard, where the barge is moored just opposite the ‘Book Barge‘.
In case you can’t get down to Granary Square, check out these snazzy pics of progress so far…
Related links
Become a Young Grant Maker: Call for applications!
Report: A Year in the Story Garden
The Floating Garden was showcased on Gardeners’ World on 8th July! Watch from 30 mins on BBC iPlayer.
