Learning from Acton in the past to grow for the future

Who we are

My name is Andy Curtis and I have lived around Horn Lane in Acton for most of the last 20 years. My daughter attends Ark Acton Academy and this project is run by the school’s parent group.

What we are going to do

There are two main strands of the project. The first, which is the main part in terms of resources, is about helping students at the school, especially those who don’t have access to gardens, grow flowers or vegetables at home. It takes inspiration from the “Dig for Victory” campaign of the 1940s, after seeing historic pictures of previous Acton residents getting stuck in on the Imperial War Museum website. The other strand of the project is tidying up and planting community spaces, for example the raised flowerbed at the bottom of Creswick Road.

Why we want to do this

Having a connection to nature is important, especially in an urban environment. Students can learn more about growing plants and vegetables, which can also brighten up Acton’s environment. There is also the more general principle of taking care of local communal spaces.

What we are most excited about

It is an opportunity for people to work together, be creative and bring different ideas. For example, we are delaying clearing some of the weeds in the flowerbed in Creswick Road during “No Mow May” because some of the children pointed out that whilst the wildflowers may be lacking in beauty, they are vital for biodiversity. We are hoping to scale up and the extend the project in future years if it goes well. But this year is in effect a pilot, so it’s about getting things started and it’s important to keep things simple.