roundwood edible community garden and nature connects centre

Through the project Forest & Family, will create London’s first Nature Connection Centre, putting Brent ‘on the map’ for Nature Connection, Outdoor Wellbeing and Community-based Environmental Care, pioneering these issues within the community and promoting a ‘new vision’ for the future role of urban parks. This first of its kind Centre, based in Roundwood Park, will run a community programme focused on ‘Nature-based’ health management; wellbeing; community cohesion and social inclusion. It is a collaborative project, with a wide range of partners and supporters including Roundwood Café, Brent Parks Department, Brent Parks Forum, Brent Environment Network, key local councillors and community groups and forums (e.g. Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum) and others beyond Brent (e.g. London National Park City Foundation).

The Centre will focus on addressing and meeting a range of urgent health, wellbeing, environmental and educational needs within our community, that cut across all age groups and demographics. The project will transform the Roundwood café garden area, former garden centre and two unused storage units (co-located next to each other) creating a holistic, multifunctional, pioneering centre for Nature Connection, Outdoor Learning and Community health and Wellbeing, acting as a community hub, information and advice centre, and child, school and adult education space. The Centre will operate in conjunction with our Forest School within Roundwood Park, thus harnessing and responding to a wave of new community interest and engagement over the last few years through our park/nature-based outdoor wellbeing initiatives and pilots, which also include the Stories By Moonlight campaign (supported by Natural England and being rolled out borough wide this summer in conjunction will all 10 Brent libraries), and pilot Forest Bathing programme and Nature Health Action Club.