Nature-friendly food growing project celebrates two years in Kettering

And a nature-friendly school garden and wetland in Loddington, near Kettering, will be at the centre of the celebrations to mark two years of the project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

A lasting legacy to King Charles’ love of nature and all things harvest, Coronation Gardens for Food and Nature has been working to empower local communities to breathe life back into their local greenspaces and grow sustainable food since 2023.

As a result, more than 3,500 Coronation Gardens have now been pledged across the UK – including at Loddington – where local people have been growing everything from vegetables and herbs to pollinator-friendly plants and fruit trees.

The five features of a Coronation Garden are:

- Grow healthy food to eat

- Plant pollinator-friendly blooms

- Create a water feature

- Leave a patch of long grass or pile of logs

- Go chemical and peat free

At Loddington, philanthropist George Cornelius and local schoolchildren have teamed up to create a nature-friendly school garden and wetland which spans an impressive four miles.

As a result of their efforts, which have included planting a community orchard, creating a herb garden and erecting a bird hide-come-outdoor-classroom, schoolchildren are now able to learn more about nature through ‘forest-school style’ learning.

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “It seems fitting to be marking all that has been achieved so far as part of the Coronation Gardens for Food and Nature project at Loddington.

"The garden and wetlands created here demonstrate just what is possible when local people – including schoolchildren and local landowners – come together with a vision for nature, food-growing and community well-being.

"With harvest upon us, we’re delighted to be joining George Cornelius and the pupils at Loddington CE Primary School to see the fruits of their labour.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, special gardens like these across the UK will continue to grow from strength to strength, with a host of ideas and advice now available on the Coronation Gardens for Food and Nature website.

"From attracting bees and butterflies to your garden to growing windowsill microgreens, these simple guides promise to provide all the inspiration you need to get started.”

With an estimated 24 million gardens in the UK - which make up nearly 30 per cent of the total urban area – plus millions of balcony and window ledge plant pots, the power of nature-friendly food growing initiatives is huge.

The food and nature garden at Loddington is one of many unique gardening projects across the UK which has pledged to grow food in a nature-friendly way, enhancing nature and boosting local community well-being.

Others include:

- Workplace and school gardens bringing staff and students together

- A Nottinghamshire canal-side community garden used by boat-dwellers

- Edible-hedges and planters around a parish church in Crewe

- A raised planter garden tucked away behind a multi-storey car park in Dover

- Window boxes, balcony gardens and allotments proving that you don’t need a garden of your own to grow food

Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Coronation Gardens project showcases and celebrates the best examples of sustainable food growing across the UK, offering expert advice and thought-provoking examples of the power of local community action.

Research carried out by the project found significant benefits for community well-being, nature restoration and local economies as a result of these efforts.

The project’s report calls on councils across the nation to increase their ambition and support for local food growing efforts in the hope that even more community initiatives like Loddington can take root nationwide.