View Garden Map
SOUTHSEA GREEN
PORTSMOUTH
Meet Some Volunteers
Jenni Van Wijk
​
Q. How long have you been involved with the garden?
A. I first got involved with the garden around 2014; getting involved with various projects over the years while fitting it in around my other commitments and what was happening for me in life at the time.
Q. What inspired you to get involved with the garden?
A. When I first heard about the garden, I felt an intuitive pull to find out more about it and as soon as I walked through the gate, I was hooked. I felt that I could help them achieve their vision and help it bloom. Every time I left; it always called me back. It has been an incredible journey and has taught me so much about who I am and is helping me to grow as a person as well as a gardener.
Q. What role do you do for the garden?
A. My role on the Committee (which we recently renamed the Organising Group to make it more appealing) is non specific. I do whatever needs to be done, using my unique set of skills and my passion to create harmonious and thriving People and Communities. I help organise events, do some project management and networking, to inspire people to collaborate and work together to help grow people and plants at the garden.
Q. What do you love about the garden?
A. I love watching the garden change each Season. It is like a magical Secret Garden, with a beautiful mix of birds, foxes, toads, frogs, fish and squirrels, each bringing their own charm as they explore the trees, plants, flowers, herbs and bird boxes. I love seeing children exploring the garden and listening to their curiosity and wonder at what they find. I love connecting with inspiring people from all walks of life, sharing ideas and working together as a team to create something really special for Southsea.
Q. What do you hope the garden's legacy will have been in 20 years' time?
A. For it to become a hub for the Community where like minded people come together to help co-create a better world; inspiring each other to learn best practices for growing, especially in small places (ideal for City living), empowering people to become more sustainable, ethical, caring and compassionate to themselves and each other.
Goff Gleadle
Q. How long have you been involved with the garden?
A. 10-11 years
​
Q. What inspired you to get involved with the garden?
A. I enjoy growing veg and was interested in encouraging more people to grow veg, particularly in towns where space may be limited and people are unaware that they can grow veg in small spaces in their gardens or unused public spaces.
Q. What role do you do for the garden?
A. Advise and help in the garden, particularly growing veg; help spread the word and gardening skills to the local community.
Q. What do you love about the garden?
A. Its history, its uniqueness, its wildlife, its atmosphere of tranquillity and its community.
Q. What do you hope the garden's legacy will have been in 20 year's time?
A. To provide a tranquil space for the members and public, to pass on skills and knowledge of all kinds and to have fostered a network of groups with similar interests.
Thomas Fox
Q. How long have you been involved with the garden?
A. I have probably been going to the garden for possibly 4 years and got involved through Copnor men's shed.
Q. What role do you do for the garden?
A. My role is maintenance were needed.
Q. What do you love about the garden?
A. I find the garden a very lovely place to be at.
Beverley Eileen
Q. How long have you been involved with the garden?
A. I have been involved with the garden since the beginning of 2022.
Q. What inspired you to get involved with the garden?
A. The values and beliefs at the heart of the garden give me a deeper understanding of nature and our interpretation of the natural world. The community garden has given me an enhanced perspective of the world, whether it be through gardening knowledge or philosophical insight. I love to share what I have learnt through volunteering with the public.
Q. What role do you do for the garden?
A. I engage with the public about the garden during garden opening hours. I am there to provide garden knowledge and thoughtful insight wherever possible. I also participate in garden talks and provide garden tours to curious visitors.
Q. What do you love about the garden?
A. There are many reasons to love the garden. I love how the garden immerses all five senses through appealing to taste, smell, touch, hearing, and sight. People become inextricably aware of their relationship with the natural world. Everyone who visits can gain from their experience. The way the garden appeals to our awareness is unique and timeless.
Q. What do you hope the garden's legacy will have been in 20 year's time?
A. The garden’s preservation site status dates back five-hundred years. I believe each volunteer has a gift to bear alongside this ongoing legacy. This legacy will evolve and build throughout the course of time. In 20 year’s time, I hope the garden has been able to bring the community together in ways that educate and enhance their experience of life.
Peta Sampson​
Q. How long have you been involved with the garden?
A. I first got involved with Southsea Green in 2010 which was slightly before we took over the garden space in Canoe Lake park.
Q. What inspired you to get involved with the garden?
A. It was great to see it come to life and be transformed into the lovely space that we now occupy. There was a lot of digging and building in those days and the garden started to evolve.
Q. What role do you do for the garden?
A. As secretary, I perform an admin function and am involved with raising funds to help achieve our goals.
Q. What do you love about the garden?
A. I wanted to be a part of a community that worked together to support people to discover the power of growing food, reducing our carbon footprint, and working together for a more sustainable way of living.
Q. What do you hope the garden's legacy will have been in 20 years' time?
A. The garden is an organic entity and those of us who have experienced it understand that we are guardians of this special space it is my hope that in the years to come and way into the future, new generations will become the caretakers of this restful and restoring place.
Zara Baines
Q. How long have you been involved with the garden?
A. I've been involved with the garden for around 7 years but took a step back a few years ago, I then decided to come back and support the garden in a slightly different capacity last year.
​
Q. What inspired you to get involved with the garden?
A. I originally came to the garden when I was invited to use it as a place to complete art projects but stayed to support it due to the wonderful community there.
Q. What role do you do for the garden?
A. My main role is social media but I also get involved with community networking and anything else that might be needed in the background.
​
Q. What do you love about the garden?
A. I appreciate the beauty of the garden, the knowledge I can gain from it and the wonderful community that comes together to keep the garden going.
Q. What do you hope the garden's legacy will have been in 20 year's time?
A. In 20 years time I hope the garden community will still be teaching and inspiring others to grow, and I hope the community support will have grown even further. I also hope it will get to a point where we have enough volunteers for it to be open much more often so more people can enjoy it on a regular basis.