Community Open Gardens Shortlees

We are a small charity in Shortlees, Kilmarnock. Founded in 2013 and registered charity since 2019. Our main aims are to build/maintain a community garden on derelict land with the objectives of reducing poverty, increasing health/wellbeing, increasing employability and improving the environment by growing our own food/produce, providing education/workshops/training and creating a safe welcoming green space for our community.

Fundraise for us

cogsgarden@gmail.com

07982963501

Registered charity no. SC049048

Member since May 2022

Latest News

We can start building our raised beds!

Thanks to generous donations and a large discount from local business K&L Timber we now have enough materials to make a start on the first batch of raised beds and start laying the paving around them.

Our team have also partnered with Vibrant Communities Home Link Worker who will be arranging a group of youths to help us. These will be youths who are at risk of disengaging from school and their involvement here at the garden could turn that around for them giving them a brighter future.

Your donations help us to continue this work helping our community grow and flourish.

About us

Over the years we have worked on many local projects and with many other local groups and charities. In 2018 we were awarded PB funding for the Celebrate Kilmarnock "Spruce up oor toon" project, as part of that we planted flowers in the cholera grave in Howard Park and now have an arrangement with the local council to maintain that on an ongoing basis.

In 2020 we signed the lease for our land and with the help of the National Lottery Community Fund work began in March 2021. We have since managed to clear the land, erect our perimeter fencing and large shed and with the help of the Woodlands Trust have planted our perimeter hedging which is part of the Big Climate Fightback and The Queen's Green Canopy.

As we now move forward we have 3 raised bed areas and the paths to pave so they are accessible to all and several raised beds to build in each area. £200 will provide materials for 1 raised bed to be built, filled and planted.