Our Plot \ Ein Darn o Dir

Across 2024 we’ve started to imagine a community garden for the former playground and car park of The Old School. \ Yn ystod 2024, rydym wedi dechrau dychmygu gardd gymunedol ar gyfer yr hen faes chwarae a’r maes parcio tu allan i’r Hen Ysgol.

Our Plot began as an idea developed through two workshops with alumni from our Peak Peers 2023 programme for young people working with Joe Capper (Collaborative Programme Director at Grand Union), and with local market gardeners Rob and Zoe Proctor of Tir Awen.

We wanted to envision what could be made possible by developing the former playground of the Old School into a community garden. The Young People defined a set of aspirations for the garden that included:

  • the garden will be a place to grow things we love 

  • the garden will create community 

  • the garden will be an artist studio 

  • the garden will be a collaborator

  • the garden will not have any clocks.

With these principles in mind, Peak developed several strands of activity to create opportunities for both Young People (Play/Ground) and local adults of any generation to be involved in the first stages of developing a garden at the Old School. Our Plot became the name for the small group of local adult participants who met at the Old School throughout summer and autumn 2024, around a series of workshops developing a community garden, growing and making towards a group harvest lunch. The volunteers joined regular drop-in sessions exploring different creative skills focussed around the garden and the shared autumn feast.  

Gardener and eco-therapist Eileen Williams-Sweet led the planting of raised beds in the former playground of the Old School, where the group then learnt how to make willow support structures for the climbing beans and cucumbers with Wyldwood Willow . Further workshops with Melanie Made Mud saw the group making and glazing ceramic plates, bowls and cups imprinted with plant materials from the garden to use at the community lunch.  

With photographer Toby Van De Velde and artist Menna Buss, several sessions were dedicated to creating beautiful table linens for the feast using cyanotype, shibori natural dying, fabric printing and sewing. A workshop experimenting with methods of lacto-fermentation, pickling and making kombucha created a lively menu of additions for the lunch.  

Despite a challenging growing season, Our Plot celebrated its first season with a joyful shared lunch including chard and potato soup, courgette fritters, carrot salad, beetroot borani, kohlrabi salad, French beans and hazelnuts, mixed leaf salad, pickles and sauerkraut, alongside lemon verbena kombucha and homemade biscuits. The group have since met to plant the beds for the winter with garlic, shallots, onions and broad beans, as we now pause to take stock of the experiences of this new group at the Old School.  

Our Plot has created space for local adults to meet and form relationships around shared creative activities, connecting to a new growing space and to Peak’s work at the Old School. As we reflect on the first season of growing here and use the experiences of this group and the ideas generated by Play/Ground - Peak’s parallel programme of activity around garden design, environmental thinking and community consultation for 13-17 year olds - we are looking forward to how the garden and those involved in and around it continue to evolve together.  

If you have any questions about Our Plot or are interested in being kept in the loop about any future community activities in and around the garden at the Old School, please email polly@peak.cymru or leave a message for Peak on 01873 811579 and we will call you back. 

This project is supported by Powys Making a Difference Fund, The Ashley Family Foundation and Awards for All.

Dechreuodd Ein Darn o Dir fel syniad a ddatblygwyd drwy ddau weithdy gyda chyn-aelodau rhaglen Cyfoedion Peak 2023 i bobl ifanc gan weithio gyda Jo Capper (Cyfarwyddwr Rhaglen Gydweithredol Grand Union), a gyda’r garddwyr marchnad lleol Rob a Zoe Proctor o gwmni Tir Awen.

Roedden ni am weld beth fyddai’n bosib drwy ddatblygu hen faes chwarae’r Hen Ysgol yn ardd gymunedol. Diffiniodd y Bobl Ifanc gyfres o dyheadau gan gynnwys:

  • gardd a fydd yn lle i dyfu pethau rydyn ni’n eu caru 

  • gardd a fydd yn creu cymuned 

  • gardd a fydd yn stiwdio artistiaid 

  • gardd a fydd yn gydweithredwr

  • gardd heb glociau ynddi.

Gyda’r egwyddorion yma mewn cof, datblygodd Peak sawl ffrwd weithgarwch i greu cyfleoedd i Bobl Ifanc (Maes/Chwarae) ac oedolion lleol o unrhyw genhedlaeth i gymryd rhan yng nghamau cyntaf y gwaith o ddatblygu gardd yn yr Hen Ysgol. Daeth Ein Darn o Dir yn enw ar y grŵp bach o oedolion lleol a oedd yn cwrdd yn yr Hen Ysgol yn ystod haf a hydref 2024 mewn cyfres o weithdai i ddatblygu gardd gymunedol, yn tyfu ac yn creu i baratoi ar gyfer cinio cynhaeaf i griw. Bu’r gwirfoddolwyr yn mynd i sesiynau galw heibio rheolaidd i archwilio gwahanol sgiliau creadigol yn ymwneud â’r ardd a’r wledd hydrefol.  

Arweiniodd yr arddwraig a’r eco-therapydd Eileen Williams-Sweet ar y gwaith o blannu gwelyau uchel yn hen faes chwarae’r Hen Ysgol, lle dysgodd y grŵp wedyn sut i greu strwythurau cefnogi o helyg ar gyfer y ffa dringo a’r ciwcymbyrs gyda Wyldwood Willow. Mewn gweithdai gyda Melanie Made Mud aeth y grŵp ati i greu a gwydro platiau, powlenni a chwpanau seramig, gyda phlanhigion o’r ardd wedi’u hargraffu arnyn nhw, i’w defnyddio yn y cinio cymunedol.  

Gyda’r ffotograffydd Toby Van De Velde a’r artist Menna Buss, roedd sawl sesiwn yn canolbwyntio ar greu llieiniau bwrdd hardd ar gyfer y wledd, gan ddefnyddio cyanoteip, lliwio naturiol shibori, printio ffabrig a gwnïo. Mewn gweithdy a oedd yn arbrofi gyda dulliau lacto-eplesu, piclo a chreu kombucha, lluniwyd bwydlen fywiog o dameidiau ychwanegol i’r pryd.  

Er gwaetha’r tymor tyfu heriol, dathlodd Ein Darn o Dir ei dymor cyntaf gyda chinio llawen o rannu, gyda chawl ysgallddail a thatws, ffriters courgette, salad moron, borani betys, salad kohlrabi, ffa Ffrengig a chnau cyll, salad dail cymysg, picls a sauerkraut, gyda kombucha ferfaen lemonaidd a bisgedi cartref. Mae’r grŵp wedi cwrdd ers hynny i blannu gwelyau’r gaeaf gyda garlleg, sialóts, winwns a ffa’r gerddi, ac rydyn ni bellach yn gorffwyso ac yn edrych ’nôl ar brofiadau’r grŵp newydd yma yn yr Hen Ysgol.  

Mae Ein Darn o Dir wedi creu lle i oedolion lleol gwrdd a meithrin perthynas ar sail gweithgareddau creadigol ar y cyd, gan gysylltu gyda man tyfu newydd a gyda gwaith Peak yn yr Hen Ysgol. Wrth i ni fyfyrio ar y tymor cyntaf o dyfu a defnyddio profiadau’r criw a’r syniadau a grëwyd gan Maes/Chwarae – sef rhaglen weithgarwch gyfochrog Peak ar ddylunio gerddi, meddwl amgylcheddol ac ymgynghori â’r gymuned ar gyfer pobl ifanc 13-17 oed – rydyn ni’n edrych ymlaen i weld sut mae’r ardd a’r rhai sy’n rhan o’r gwaith yn parhau i esblygu gyda’i gilydd.  

Os oes gennych unrhyw gwestiynau am Ein Darn o Dir neu os oes gennych ddiddordeb mewn clywed y diweddaraf am weithgareddau cymunedol yng ngardd yr Hen Ysgol ac o’i chwmpas yn y dyfodol, anfonwch e-bost at polly@peak.cymru neu gadewch neges ar 01873 811579 ac fe wnawn ni’ch ffonio chi’n ôl. 

 Cefnogwyd y prosiect gan Gronfa Gwneud Gwahaniaeth Powys, Sefydliad Teulu Ashley, ac Arian i Bawb.