Autumn Lights

The Bridge Community Centre had a fantastic Autumn Lights Festival during half-term week which I attended with my son. It was a day full of FREE indoor and outdoor activities including T-shirt designing with Inspire Artwork, lantern and mask making, pumpkin carving, story telling, bird feeder making, potting up strawberry plants and there was a 'Totting Hill' Mini Carnival Parade. I made some blackberry muffins for them to sell along with their other delicious cakes and biscuits. A real mix of families from the surrounding areas visit the Bridge and make use of it's facilities. Many of the local kids rarely leave the neighbourhood, even though we have many beautiful outdoor spaces, parks and the beach too. Being situated in an area of social and economic deprivation, the Bridge benefits these children most of all; giving them a safe space to play and learn and keeping them off the streets.

Bridge Community Garden: harvest success

It was busy, messy, noisy, muddy and we had so much fun. I think we must be due an award for the amount of activities we laid on in one day! I made succotash using borlotti beans and sweetcorn from the garden. It's a native American dish, sweet and creamy. We had delicious vegetable and lentil curry made by Monuj and Shima Paul, head chef from Flavours Of India and his wife, who volunteered for the day. They were helped by Nick Hales, owner of St Clements restaurant. Our chef Fabien made butternut squash, kale and bacon hot pot. The children made lovely pumpkin soup. Shabana's beautifully decorated vegetable cakes were a big hit; the walnut and beetroot cake as well as apricot and spiced parsnip cake tasted amazing. Corrina's scrummy halloween biscuits sold really quickly. Thanks to Sam, Jess, Karen and all the In To Play staff who looked after the kid's activities; Harriet for her enthusiasm, great ideas for outdoor nature games and her homemade playdough; my cheery garden co-worker Paul; Mary for coping patiently with a packed cafe; Councillor Jay Kramer and Veronica for doing a grand job of the raffle; Tanya, Rachel, Julie and Claire the driving force of the Bridge; Vicky Climspon for donating her beautiful homemade Christmas decoration for the raffle; Karla and Sarah for help with letters and phone calls; Trisha and Simon for dealing with a load of mud and pumpkin goo without complaint. Hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

It was a fantastic way to celebrate the end of the main growing season and everything we've accomplished in the garden in a short time with hardly any money. I want to say a BIG thank you to Tony and Sarah at Fairlight hall who donated plants and some of their own harvest and also Craig Sams and Jo Fairley who donated plants for the garden and beauty products for our raffle. Thanks everyone who's worked hard on our community garden. When you see the kids running around together covered in mud, when a 4 year old tells me this is the last month for corn and another little boy runs up with a handful of raspberries he's discovered while exploring on his own, you can be sure our garden is growing healthy children.

The Bridge Community Garden: Harvest Lights

Some of our wonderful pumpkins. At our Harvest Lights half-term event, which is FREE the children will be harvesting pumpkins and haricot beans, making soup and bread rolls and carving the pumpkins. They will also be making chocolate dipped apples. There will be firework collage making, lantern making, snail racing and garden activities. Indoor and outdoor fun. We even have some raincoats and wellies for the kids! A local lady is coming in to cook us a homemade curry and there will be pumpkin pie and butternut squash muffins for sale. We will also be selling our organic vegetables fresh from the garden. Anything that doesn't sell is being donated to the soup kitchens for homeless people. Harvest Lights 28th Oct 10am - 3pm The Bridge Community Centre. Free.

Harvest Lights

Poster I created for an event we are having at the Bridge Community Centre.