Since 2011, Let's Grow Preston has led, supported and partnered on a wide range of community gardening, food-growing and environmental projects across Preston.

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Some projects are managed directly by Let's Grow Preston, while others are community-led initiatives that we support through advice, volunteers, training, insurance, plants, tools and partnership working (for more info on what we do and how we could help your community gardening project, visit our What We Do page).

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Together, these projects help improve local green spaces, support biodiversity, reduce food waste, encourage healthy lifestyles and strengthen communities across the city.

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The Impact

 

Through community gardening, food growing, environmental volunteering and training opportunities, Let's Grow Preston helps people improve their wellbeing, develop skills and connect with their communities.

 

Our 2022 volunteer surveys found:

• 100% felt recognised and appreciated for their contribution

• 100% would recommend volunteering with Let's Grow Preston

• 86% learned new skills through volunteering

• 86% felt more connected to their community

• 86% felt more connected to the environment

• 86% felt happier after volunteering

• 83% reported increased happiness and social connection

• 75% reported reduced loneliness

 

These results demonstrate the positive impact community gardening and environmental volunteering can have on both individuals and communities.

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To learn more about our positive impact on Preston, visit Our Impact page.

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Let's Grow Preston-Led Projects​

 

Grange Community Garden (2011–Present)

 

Grange Community Garden is the main food-growing site within the Let's Grow Preston network and is where much of our practical growing, training and community engagement takes place.

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Originally established around 2000 through an NHS Restart Programme, Let's Grow Preston became involved in supporting the site in 2011. The garden formally became part of the Let's Grow Preston network in 2014.

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Today the garden provides opportunities for volunteering, food growing, workshops, social prescribing, accredited training and community activities. In 2018, core funding enabled dedicated staff support to help secure the site's long-term future.

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Ashton Walled Garden (2013–Present)

 

Ashton Walled Garden serves primarily as a demonstration and inspiration garden, showcasing what can be achieved through community gardening.

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Previously a bowling green, the site was transformed into a thriving community space after Preston City Council was no longer able to maintain both bowling greens within the park.

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The garden provides opportunities for vegetable growing, seed propagation, volunteering and plant sales, while inspiring visitors to develop their own gardens and growing projects.

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Plant Donation Scheme (2011–Present)

 

Every year local gardeners divide and share excess plants from their gardens. The Plant Donation Scheme provides a way for these plants to be reused within the community rather than discarded.

 

Donated plants are distributed to community gardens, community hubs, schools, parks and local environmental projects across Preston.

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The scheme now operates year-round and includes the redistribution of seasonal bedding plants donated by Friends of Moor Park and other local partners.

 

The plants are also used in training workshops and community gardening activities, helping support both local projects and fundraising efforts.

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Abundance Preston (2012–Present)

 

Abundance Preston is a city-wide food rescue project that harvests fruit from urban fruit trees and surplus produce from allotments across Preston.

 

The project was established to reduce food waste by ensuring that fruit and vegetables are shared within communities rather than being left to rot. Over time the project expanded to include produce collection from Preston's allotment sites, supporting food hubs, holiday hunger programmes and community food initiatives.

 

During the COVID-19 response, Let's Grow Preston worked alongside Preston City Council, FareShare and local food hubs to help distribute food across the city. Between April and September 2020, the partnership supported over 47,500 food parcels and helped provide more than 57,000 meals.

 

Since 2021, the project has used the Sustain Harvestometer system to record food donations, meals created, carbon savings and the value of rescued food.

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Accredited Horticulture Training (2022–Present)

 

Let's Grow Preston works with a range of partners to provide accredited horticultural training opportunities.

 

Training programmes have been delivered through Lancashire Adult Learning since 2022 and in partnership with Myerscough College in 2024.

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These programmes help participants develop practical horticultural skills while improving confidence, employability and wellbeing.

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Gardening Club (2025–Present)

 

The Let's Grow Preston Gardening Club helps people reconnect with nature while developing practical gardening skills.

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Sessions include a talk from a qualified horticulturalist, practical gardening activities and opportunities to learn from local experts and suppliers.​ Topics include seed sowing, propagation, composting, wildlife-friendly gardening, growing your own food and seasonal gardening tasks.

 

The club welcomes beginners and experienced gardeners alike and provides a friendly environment for learning and sharing knowledge.

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Community Projects Supported by Let's Grow Preston

 

Andy's Bee Meadow (2014–Present)

 

Located near the end of Broadgate beside the River Ribble, Andy's Bee Meadow is a volunteer-managed wildflower meadow that Let's Grow Preston has supported since its creation.

 

The meadow was named in memory of Andrew Greenwood, one of its most dedicated volunteers, who sadly passed away in 2015.

 

The site provides an important habitat for pollinators and offers a beautiful display of wildflowers each spring and summer.

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Alley Proud / Adopt a Bed Scheme (2011–Present)

 

The Adopt a Bed scheme help residents transform neglected and underused spaces within their communities. Let's Grow Preston supports volunteers by helping secure permissions, providing plants, tools and practical advice, and assisting with project development.

 

Projects have included community flower beds, neighbourhood greening initiatives and the creation of welcoming public spaces that bring communities together and improve civic pride.

 

Examples include community planting projects in Deepdale (Alley Proud) and support for community-led improvements at the Methodist Church Rest Garden.

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Railway Clean-Up Project (2025–Present)

 

The Railway Clean-Up Project focuses on improving the former Longridge railway line corridor running into Preston. The project is led by Andy Pratt MBE and a dedicated volunteer team, with Let's Grow Preston providing advice, consultation and practical support.

 

Volunteers have worked to clear rubbish, manage overgrown vegetation and improve the site for local residents and wildlife.

 

Future plans include the creation of a community vegetable growing area.

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Foxton Centre Garden (2025–Present)

 

Let's Grow Preston worked with The Foxton Centre to redesign and improve the garden space used by young people and members of the men's support services.

 

The project involved consultation with service users, garden design, plant selection and volunteer planting activities.

 

While Foxton volunteers now manage the space, Let's Grow Preston continues to maintain a close relationship with the project and provide ongoing support where needed.​

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Supporting Preston's Community Growing Network

 

A key part of Let's Grow Preston's work is supporting community groups, volunteers and organisations across the city.

 

We provide practical support including:

• Public liability insurance

• Tools and equipment

• Training and workshops

• Advice and mentoring

• Free plants and growing materials

• Volunteer support

• Networking opportunities

• Community garden development assistance

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Through this support, Let's Grow Preston helps dozens of community environmental projects thrive across Preston and the surrounding area. If you'd like to know more about our community support network, please visit our Free Members Network page.

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Completed Projects

 

Corn Exchange Beds (2016–2020)

 

The Corn Exchange Beds were a prominent city-centre planting scheme located on Lune Street. For several years volunteers maintained a colourful herbaceous border that brought wildlife, colour and community pride into the heart of Preston.

 

The project provided valuable volunteering opportunities and demonstrated the positive impact community gardening can have within urban spaces.

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Although the beds were removed as part of traffic improvement works, the project remains an important chapter in Let's Grow Preston's history.

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Waverley Community Garden (2022–2023)

 

Let's Grow Preston supported the development of Waverley Community Garden before successfully handing responsibility to local volunteers.

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The project demonstrated how community members can be empowered through training, support and encouragement to independently manage local green spaces.

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The garden continues as a volunteer-led community asset.

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Hub on Grange Park (Billington Lodge) (2022–2025)

 

The Hub on Grange Park transformed a neglected building and surrounding outdoor space into a thriving community resource.

Working alongside local residents and volunteers, Let's Grow Preston helped reopen and reactivate the site, creating opportunities for community activities and engagement.

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Once the project was firmly established, responsibility was successfully handed back to local volunteers to continue its future development.

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Workshops, Training and Outreach

Alongside our community gardening projects, Let's Grow Preston delivers a wide range of workshops, outreach activities and educational programmes.

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These include:

• School growing workshops

• Accredited horticulture training

• Corporate volunteering opportunities

• Social prescribing activities

• Food growing and sustainability workshops

• Community gardening advice and mentoring

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Through these programmes we help people of all ages connect with nature, develop practical skills and become more involved in their local communities.

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Get Involved

 

Whether you're looking to volunteer, start a community gardening project, improve a local green space, or learn more about growing food in your community, we'd love to hear from you.

 

Let's Grow Preston supports individuals, community groups, schools, housing associations and local organisations across Preston with advice, training, plants, tools and practical support.

 

If you have an idea for a community gardening project, would like support for an existing project, or are interested in volunteering with one of the projects featured on this page, please get in touch.

 

Email: letsgrowpreston@gmail.com 

 

Together, we can create greener spaces, stronger communities and a healthier Preston.​