Community Gardens

Friends of Home Park is a volunteer-led group of local residents working to protect and improve Home Park in Sydenham, Lewisham. The group promotes a cleaner, safer and more welcoming park by tackling issues such as littering, dog fouling and antisocial behaviour while supporting community involvement in maintaining and enhancing the space. Residents can join the group as a Friend of Home Park, receive updates on park improvements and volunteer to help with local initiatives and the committee.

Grove Park Local Nature Reserve is a protected green space in Grove Park, Lewisham, located across the railway from Hither Green Cemetery. The reserve contains a range of habitats, including one of the borough’s few areas of calcareous grassland, supporting a wide variety of plants and wildlife, including several locally rare species. The site has held a Green Flag Community Award since 2009 and is open to the public year round via a path from Baring Road along Railway Children’s Walk. It is also part of the Green Chain Walk, a long-distance walking route across south-east London.

Frendsbury Gardens is a community garden and small park in Brockley, Lewisham, located between Frendsbury Road, Pincott Place, Billingsford Close, Hainford Close and Coston Walk. The space was formerly a neglected wasteland affected by fly-tipping until local residents worked together, with support from Lewisham Council and lottery funding, to transform it into a community green space. The garden was awarded a Green Flag in 2013 and is now used by local residents as a place for nature, play, learning and community use.

Gifted to the community in 1922, Forster Memorial Park provides a space for all to connect with the natural environment and with one another. Forster Park Friends is a local charitable organisation, working in partnership with Lewisham Council to help shape a positive future in a beautiful place that has something for everyone.

Farmstead Road Community Garden is a volunteer-run community growing space in Lewisham created from a neglected group of allotments in 2009–2010. Local volunteers transformed the site with support from Phoenix Community Housing and organisational help from Groundwork, creating a shared garden for residents and the wider community. Current projects include a sensory garden, a developing nature trail, a small community vineyard, a food-growing project supporting a local food bank, and community outreach activities at local events to encourage participation and awareness.

Downham Matters is a volunteer-led community group in Downham, Lewisham, formed in 2019 by three local mothers who wanted to improve the environment around their children’s school and the wider neighbourhood. The group works to transform local green spaces, organise litter-picking events and encourage community participation in improving the local area. Downham Matters operates mainly through a community Facebook group, providing a platform for residents to connect, share ideas and take part in local initiatives.

Crofton Park Railway Garden is a volunteer-run community garden beside Crofton Park railway station in Lewisham, managed by the Friends of Crofton Park Railway Garden, a resident-led group formed in 2018. Local volunteers transformed the previously neglected site into a small community green space where people grow plants, support biodiversity and connect with their neighbours. The garden hosts regular volunteer gardening days, takes part in Lewisham Open Gardens, and occasionally runs community events such as a local market.

Common Growth is a small community garden on Sandbourne Road, adjacent to New Cross Gate Cutting, a nature reserve that runs alongside the East London railway line. The community garden was established in 2010 by Bold Vision, a local charity that oversees the nearby Hill Station Community Café. The site was formerly wasteland that was used by local residents to access a nearby car park. On the northern side of the site are a pair of gardening sheds close to a Rowan tree, with shrubs and flowerbeds in the opposite half of the garden.

Grow Lewisham is a community growing and environmental project based in Lewisham that supports residents to grow food, learn gardening skills and connect with nature. Through workshops, volunteering and community garden activities, the initiative promotes sustainable food growing, biodiversity and stronger local communities. It is part of the Right to Grow movement, which encourages communities to use unused urban land for local food production and community gardening.

Chinbrook Meadows is a public park and green space in Grove Park, Lewisham, that provides natural habitats, walking routes and recreational areas for the local community. The meadows follow the course of the River Quaggy and support biodiversity through grassland, trees and wetland environments while offering space for outdoor activities, nature observation and community use.

Beckenham Place Park Volunteering offers opportunities for local residents to get involved in caring for and improving Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham through activities such as conservation work, habitat management, gardening, events support and community engagement. Volunteers help protect biodiversity, maintain green spaces and contribute to environmental projects while connecting with nature and the local community.

Aspinal Road Community Gardens is a set of small volunteer-run community growing spaces in New Cross, Lewisham, supported by Bold Vision. Local residents work together to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers, improve biodiversity and maintain shared green spaces that bring neighbours together through gardening, volunteering and community activities.