Pulp Friction CIC is a Nottinghamshire-based social enterprise that supports Learning Disabled and Autistic adults to gain valuable employability and life skills. Through multiple catering and gardening projects spanning the city and county, Pulp Friction’s Members are able to develop their work-readiness and social independence skills in a safe and friendly environment.
This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show will see Pulp Friction and their Members present their ‘Growing Skills Garden’ as one of the popular All About Plants exhibits, thanks to the ‘Gardens for Good Causes’ sponsorship from Project Giving Back. The garden is giving Pulp Friction Members the chance to harness and showcase their existing gardening skills, with the aim of creating a positive statement about inclusion and diversity by creating a space for all to enjoy.
With sustainability being a key factor throughout the organisation, Pulp Friction wanted their latest and most exciting project to be no different. The Growing Skills Garden will be made from recycled materials, such as locally sourced reclaimed timber, remodelled and homemade gabions and stone off-cuts. One of the garden’s key elements will be made by repurposing old fire hoses. Sitting central to the garden, the fire hose structure will reflect the garden’s inspiration of communities coming together to achieve their central goal of breaking barriers, whilst also representing the long-standing partnership between Pulp Friction and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Plants for the garden are being grown using environment, wildlife and insect friendly techniques. Organic fertilisers are being used to feed the plants, keeping the spaces being used to grow healthy. Pulp Friction Members themselves are busy growing a third of the plants to be used in the garden, which is inspired by Robert Hart’s Forest Garden concept, and will be brought to life by the garden’s designers – Will and Tin-Tin from Dutch Landscape Architects (DLA) and Beth Danks (Pulp Friction’s Lead Gardener).
Hart’s passion for creating green cities will be reflected through the 7 layers of planting and the edible plant species used throughout the garden. Including runner beans, fresh herbs and fruit plants and trees, such as the medlar. Edible planting not only creates a connection between the garden and its visitors, but also echoes Pulp Friction’s passion to grow and use their own food throughout their catering projects, and DLA’s ethos “to create unique and sustainable designs that connect people, places and nature”.
With the show just a month away, the Pulp Friction team are working tirelessly to grow and build
for their garden, but it’s not without support from valuable partners, such as Brooke Farm and the University of Nottingham. Collaborating with local organisations is an important aspect of Pulp Friction’s mission to develop strong, working communities that empower each other through sharing best practices, skills and demonstrating the importance of inclusion.
Once the show is complete, the entire Growing Skills Garden will live on as a space for Pulp Friction’s local community of Nottingham to enjoy for years to come as it develops and grows into maturity. The garden will be rehomed at Stockhill Fire Station in Basford, Nottingham, where it can be enjoyed by people and wildlife alike. Biodiversity will continue to sit at the heart of the garden with features that will encourage interactions with nature, providing sensory and tactile opportunities for its visitors.
If you would like to support the journey of Pulp Friction’s Growing Skills Garden, donate to their crowdfunder (www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/pulp-friction-chelsea), or get in touch with the team via their website https://www.pulpfrictioncio.org.uk/.
