Project Port Lyttelton

Project Port Lyttelton Community Gardens: With a view that is surely second to none for community gardens.When we set out on our tour of the country we planned on seeking out stories as we went.

We weren't sure how hard we'd have to look or what we would find but it's been easier than we could have hoped. You don't have to look far to find people doing really great stuff and indeed the stories are starting to find us.

Today we visited Margaret Jefferies and Wendy Everingham of 'Project Port Lyttelton' who heard about Be The Change from Oxfam and signed themselves up on the website!

Margaret Jefferies and Wendy Everingham: Margaret Jefferies and Wendy Everingham of Project Lyttelton sit and talk in the Lyttelton community gardens.As we've talked to more and more people it has become increasingly clear that there is no one single way for people to combat climate change - there are many and they are varied but they share themes that are also emerging in the Bright Ideas people are submitting. It's about creating a community culture where sustainable solutions are actively sought and embraced.

Along with a small bunch of other Lyttelton folk Wendy and Margaret have started something that has had far reaching effects in their community. Starting with a Walking Map and then a Farmers' Market, that now only a few years later attracts over 2000 people on a Saturday morning, they have a whole range of initiatives on the go - many of which are funded by the Farmers' market.

Like Dugald in Hampden who refers to it as 'relocalisation' the Farmers market and the community garden is about bringing back the food and goods production and sales into the community. It cuts own on the need to travel and the reliance on fossil fuels that goes with that.

In Lyttelton, it's been so successful that several businesses have sprung up in town following success at the market.

As well they have a community Organic Garden, publish a monthly circular with the Lyttelton News, operate a Time Bank, the Energy Matters project, a 'Warm Wall' a Summer Festival, Waste Minimisation and a Community Van.

Project Port Lyttelton Community GardensTime and time again both Wendy and Margaret came back to the value of networking. And how making links between people, ideas, skills and needs invariably results in something previously unimagined or better than the idea you started with. I hope that other people around the country will take inspiration from this and do similar things in their community. One of the reasons for this website is to share such stories in the hope that they provide the inspiration for relocalisation to spread.