Save Our Street Planters
From "People Powered Forest Gate & Maryland - Finished"
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Proposed budget
Description
Completion update - December 2024
The project has ended up being a complete joy. It has engaged members of the public who have appreciated what I’m trying to do. Many have stopped and congratulated myself and others, while we work on the planters, but I have also received texts and emails. A group of children from a local mosque helped over a weekend and local shopkeepers offered refreshments like drinks and fruit to them.
The local community have also been able to support by propagating plants, assisting in the physically building of signs, creating designs for the signs, planting up and clearing the planters, whatever the weather.
Now that the planters have been be cleared and replanted, they are easier to maintain. They will only need a bit of cutting back, weeding and clearing from time to time. Apart from 1 planter, outside the Coop, the litter issue has much improved.
The main outcomes are that the high street looks much smarter and people are no long wound up by the state of the planters.
My Plan
Our street planters need to be maintained, if not the results can be worse than not having them at all - we've all seen them full of rubbish and dead plants. Instead of inspiring those walking past, it can give a sense that a community really doesn't care.
I plan to change this by investigating the origins of planters in the area and either offer support to those who have worked hard to put them in place, or simply take over the maintenance. I will do this with a network of corporate companies, schools and local charitable organisations or cultural groups, in order to make it a sustainable operation. I will organise monthly maintenance sessions, providing equipment and refreshments for all taking part.
My vision is to create something a little different for the planters, they could be themed and used to educate people about nature, highlight different cultures, herbal remedies, or simply promote good causes in the area. The bases of the planters could also be used to hold artwork from schools or other local organisations. It would be lovely to create something that catches the eye and makes people smile as they walk past.
Integral to the whole project is the participation of the local community, it will give them a chance to meet new, like minded people and to be part of something worthwhile.
For the amount of £4,800 please support me to improve the environment in some small way.
This project is subject to permission being granted by the owner of the premises if successful
