Community Garden
(see Dunhill Ecopark Community Garden Open Day)
The garden is situated in a unique rural setting and leads on to our Integrated Constructed Wetlands, find out more about integrated constructed wetlands… We are designing the garden to Permaculture principles and wish to provide a sensory garden experience.
Find out more about Permaculture
Find out more about Sensory Gardens
After over a year of preparation and planning, Dunhill Ecopark is celebrating the completion of its community garden. The project wouldn’t have been possible without the massive support from the local community with businesses providing everything from materials to plants and people providing blood, sweat and the occasional tear! After over a year of preparation and planning, Dunhill Ecopark is celebrating the completion of its community garden. The project wouldn’t have been possible without the massive support from the local community with businesses providing everything from materials to plants and people providing blood, sweat and the occasional tear!
We believe the benefits of community gardens are manifold. Not only do they provide productive, creative, safe, high quality open spaces. They also provide opportunities for people to learn new skills and abilities, either informally or on formal accredited training courses; improve physical and mental health; they also provide a valuable tool for bringing people together of different abilities, ages, and cultures, aiding in community cohesion.
The community garden is situated next to the wetlands, weather station and apiary at the rear of the Ecopark and is a key asset for Dunhill Ecopark. It was created with the aim of providing opportunities for environmental education for schools and the community as a whole. It provides a creative and natural space to relax and to learn about growing your own food and sustainable living. Designed using an organic and permaculture principle, the garden helps demonstrate how we can live more in harmony in nature and be more sustainable, whilst reflecting wider ethos of the Ecopark.
For the month of July 2009, Dunhill Ecopark welcomed Giulia Mattalia, a Slow Food enthusiast from Turin in Italy. Giulia possessed a keen passion for gardening and an in-depth knowledge of plants and has produced a manual for the garden recording all the plants, including an accompanying monthly activity calendar. This was crucial and time consuming work which would have taken many months for our volunteers to complete.
Dunhill Ecopark would like to thank the following people for their contribution to the completion of the Community Garden:
- B & Q Waterford
- Waterford County Council
- Thomas McCarthy Builders Providers Tramore
- Future Forests, Co. Cork
- East Waterford Beekeepers Association
- Willie Moore’s Farm, Dunhill, Co. Waterford
- Gary Dalton, Ecoworks, Tramore, Co. Waterford
- Dunhill 35th Scout Unit
- Middle Earth Venture Scouts,Tramore
- Amore Bridalwear, Youghal, Co. Cork
- Dunhill Cuisine, Dunhill, Co. Waterford
- Graham Strouts, zone5.org, Bantry, Co. Cork
- Carraig Dulra
- Kelly Barna Garden Buildings
- Frances McGrath, T-A Munster Tree Services, (051) 294008
- Karen McCarthy
To find out more contact us
First Community Open Day at Dunhill Ecopark Community Garden
Dunhill Ecopark Community Garden is holding its first community open day on Sunday 13th September 2009 from 11am to 3pm. The open day has been planned to coincide with the Waterford Harvest Festival and will be officially opened by Minister Trevor Sargent on Saturday 12th September.
Kicking off at 11.30 is a tour of the garden with Samantha Richardson, Environment Manager showing how the garden was designed and built using permaculture principles. Then at 12pm local scientist, Dr Rory Harrington will give a tour of the 2.5 acres integrated constructed wetlands, explaining how they treat waste water naturally and organically. Dr Harrington will also explain how the weather impacts on our water systems through the weather station situated in the wetlands. At 1pm a Slow Food lunch will be available in the garden. At 1.30 pm Mike Hughes, Secretary of East Waterford Beekeepers Association will give a tour of their recently installed apiary where he will entertain on the magic of beekeeping and bees. Following on from this tour, Mike will bring you indoors to watch a special short film on beekeeping in modern Ireland, which provides an insight into the extraordinary world of beekeepers. The day will end with a final tour of the garden. Don’t forget to bring your wellies!!
From 11am and throughout the day, the delights of Caife Duin Aill, run by local food enthusiast and entrepreneur Nancy O’Shea, will be available. Nancy will be making a special homemade Slow Food breakfast and lunch using natural and local ingredients, some from the community garden, including her speciality scones, seasonal soups, artisan bread and sandwiches, as well as a fresh mint lemonade.
