Sirhowy Hill Woodlands

Community Gardens & Tree Nursery sessions
2026-04-07 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-04 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-02 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-03-31 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-03-28 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-26 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-03-24 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-03-21 10:00 - 12:00 (Europe/London) and 7 more dates | Sirhowy Hill Woodlands – South, Sirhowy Hill Woodlands, Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, NP22 4QF
Come and join us to help with our community gardens and tree nurseries every Wednesday and Saturday 10 am till 12 pm. Volunteers receive free produce and growing your own food is an excellent skill as well as great for your physical and mental wellbeing. No skills needed, just pop along to one of our sessions and meet the team and have go.
With a food poverty grant from BGBC, we purchased 20 ton of compost/soil improver, but before we could spread it we had to clear the site of scrub willow and rush, then to fence it and “a la Charles Dowding” the no dig guru, we carboarded the whole site. Our volunteers spread the 20 ton of material and we put woodchip on the paths.
In our first year, we planted lettuce, chard, peas, mangetout, onions, radishes, broad beans, runner beans, beetroot, potatoes, carrots and parsnips increasing the fertility of the soil with well-rotted manure and composted woodchip and plant material. Every year since, we have continued to improve the soil while following the ‘no dig’ method. We use our community garden as an educational resource for local school children, where they can learn to sow, grow and harvest. We also do cooking sessions for the children so they can eat what they have grown and see the ‘plant to plate’ cycle.
We’ve created a tree nursery starting in 2021, planted heritage orchards, and mixed native fruit and nut trees through our woodland to strengthen biodiversity and build climate resilience. There are a selection of fruit trees, apples -cookers and eaters, plums, damsons, gages, pears and cobnuts funded by Groundwork Wales and the Local Nature Partnership, and with ongoing training in Orchard management, we hope to have a productive fruit area in years to come.

Woodland Management
2026-03-25 09:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-18 09:00 - 16:00
Brush-cutting, path clearance, bramble bashing and pruning.
No experience needed, just come along in some sturdy shoes/boots and dressed for all weathers! Bring your own snacks and drinks.
If you are a new volunteer, feel free to come along, but please inform kathryn.learwood@sirhowyhillwoodlands.co.uk so we know to look out for you and bring any necessary equipment.
Our volunteers are City & Guilds trained in tasks such as brush cutting, chainsaw operation, felling, path clearing, and operating forestry machinery. We source funding for training for our committed volunteers to help us manage the woodlands and help people improve their confidence, skills and training. This can help people find employment or just be a good new skill.

Litterpick
2026-03-22 10:00 - 12:00
We hold regular litter picks of the woodlands. We supply the equipment, just bring your own snacks and drinks, sturdy footwear and be dressed for all weathers! Litter picking is a great way to improve your natural environment for the benefit of nature, biodiversity and your community.
Any questions? Email: kathryn.learwood@sirhowyhillwoodlands.co.uk
