Waggon Way Wild is a community and wildlife garden project of Gateshead Community Organisation based at Blaydon near the historical heritage site, Path head Water Mill.

The primary aim of the Waggon Way Wild project is to create a space for various groups of individuals to enjoy the benefits of this shared outdoor space. We plan to develop a memory garden which will include a selection of raised beds with accessible surroundings. These beds will be themed around decades to help with reminiscence activities for our older groups.

There is part of the site which is being planted as a sensory garden promoting relaxation and respite from everyday stresses. We will work with a local training company to help people gain employability skills and qualifications in horticulture and personal development.

Three of the staff team have had forest school training and two of them are going on to complete the L3 Forest School leader. We would like to use these skills to engage with local children and schools to offer a safe space for them to learn more about local wildlife, being outside and the rich history of the local area. Other planned activities include holding mindfulness classes for children to be delivered by a local practitioner and part of the garden is being prepared to be planted with lavender as another area of relaxation.

The general up keep of the garden will be carried out by a team of volunteers from various backgrounds, to date we have had help from an individual who is recovering from a stroke with some visual impairment issues. We have staff are on hand to support individuals who need adjustments to access these activities and our core values encompass an inclusive approach to this project.

In planning this space we have considered the well being of all living creatures that inhabit our community garden. This has allowed us to include aspects of a wildlife reserve using habitat piles, building bird and bat boxes and allocating parts of our land to remain untouched, giving a safe place for creatures to live. .

Sunlit Path Project

The garden started just before lockdown and is in need of some care and attention. We have recently started to work on the garden every Friday and have welcomed more and more volunteers each week. Currently the garden is not suitable for people with mobility needs and by creating this fun interactive project we are hoping to raise funds to create a path around the garden.

We are asking for donations of £2 in return for a brick, engraved with a word of the your choice which will become part of our "Sunlit Path". This path will create an accessible route around our community garden space at Summerhill in Blaydon. Multiple bricks will be available, meaning people can create a sentence or even a story along the path.

Ideally we would like people to think of a word or string of words which would become their own legacy, there for years to come. Blaydon has a rich history involving bricks and has connections with successful brick companies from the past. By pledging your support in the form of a donation your word will  become  part of a story, in addition to this you will help to make the garden accessible to a wide range of people who currently are excluded from joining us safely due to the lack of an accessible path.

Please click the photo below to donate!