In 2001, Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens was created by local Meadows residents coming together to transform part of this disused, unloved, rubbish-strewn playing field into a green space for the local people to use. Local residents now enjoy the benefits of a safe space for family events, place of learning and opportunity to buy freshly grown fruit and vegetables.
By July 2003, with the help of volunteers and partnerships with local training schemes, the Gardens started to transform; native hedging and orchard trees were planted, new members signed up. A triple-skinned polytunnel was erected and the curved walls and raised beds built.
Over the following years the Gardens have further developed into an oasis in the heart of the Meadows, with residents regularly coming to buy vegetables, hundreds of attendees at events and numerous daily visitors.
In 2012 we successfully secured funding from the Big Lottery Fund to continue our work and aims for a further four years. It has allowed us to employ additional staff and extend our reach to the many diverse groups found within the Meadows community.
We have a wonderful eco-building, giving us space to host more events and training. We have partnered up with Inspire and they use our room to deliver their great calender of events.
Over the years we’ve received a number of awards including the Big Wheel Workplace Challenge and the ‘Regeneration and Renewable’ category of the Nottingham Post Environment Awards, both in 2013.
In 2014 The Meadows won the Urban Community Category of East Midlands in Bloom 2014 and gained a prestigious Silver Gilt Award. The RHS Judges praised AMC Gardens as “an amazing community asset”.
In 2014 we won The Queens Award for Voluntary Service.
We have perfected and improved the quality of our fruit and vegetables throughout the years that we have been open and the varieties reflect our diverse community.
We are here to deliver events and activities that you want us to run and host.
We are a flexible, happy lot that are here to celebrate community gardening, help others to thrive, be there for our visitors and support our community here in The Meadows.
Open until 4 in the winter and until 6 in the summer and on Saturday too.
Come and see us and spend time in our green space in the heart of Nottingham City.
