Our Summer Ripple Project: A 'Circle of Inspiration' and renewed community garden for St. Augustine's Church in Norwich

A once-plain patch of grass at St Augustine’s Church in Norwich has been transformed into a vibrant community garden, thanks to the efforts of our group of 'Ripple' Project participants.

Our group of participants celebrating the completed project.

Over the past eight weeks, the participants have worked alongside their project leader, Paula Coombe, to transform and renew the plain patch of grass into a vibrant and inspiring space.

The project, which has been called ‘the highlight of the summer’ by St Augustine's Church, has created a vibrant and beautiful area for the whole community to enjoy. 

The garden now includes a variety of flowers, including those kindly donated by Notcutts Garden Centre in Norwich, and wildlife friendly features such as bee boxes and a ‘dead hedge’ to provide nesting and foraging space for birds. In addition, the team has also added a herb and vegetable garden and created a new contemplative meditation space, called the ‘Circle of Inspiration’ for everyone in the local area to enjoy. 

Judy from St Augustine's Church said "The Rippleacts volunteers have done an amazing transformation of our bedraggled church garden. They were lovely people & we thoroughly enjoyed having them there. What they have done will be enjoyed by church members & the local community, particularly as they don't have gardens of their own."

Check out our interview with BBC Radio Norfolk below to learn more about the space and to hear more about the experience for our participants!

A huge thank you to Paula Coombe from Spells Gardening for leading the group, the The National Lottery Community Fund for funding this project and to Norwich Unity Hub for lending us their tools!