The Story

At the Maxwell Centre we engage with a very diverse community, all ages, all beliefs and all backgrounds. We have been referred to as a model of what the 20 minute neighbourhood service should look like and it is our goal to set example or at least learn and share lessons through various innovative pilot projects.

Through the Maxwell Grows Dundee project we were determined to make our community stronger, more resilient and adaptable to change but also build the capacity to change our local environment for the better, have important conversations about climate and social change and demonstrate how this can be achieved at the neighbourhood level across Dundee.

At the start of our project we were at the forefront of a strong momentum amongst community growing spaces wanting to work together to improve what they were doing and mutually support each other as many are volunteer run as well increase our visibility and capacity.

This became the Dundee Food Growing Network. The funding was instrumental in taking this project to another level, so we would be able to give continuity and resources to the growing spaces. We believe Dundee’s community growing spaces are uniquely placed to deliver and promote, through experience and example many of the objectives laid out in Dundee’s Climate Action Plan as well as supporting Community Education, Health and Wellbeing, Biodiversity and of course meet the targets of Dundee’s Council Food Growing Strategy.

We have worked in collaboration or been supported by many groups: RSPB, DCC-Kate Treharne, DVVA, Green Health Partnership, Green Prescriptions, Potato House, James Hutton, Verdant, V&A, Rangers, Froglife, College Horticulture course, Scrapantics, City Allotments, Men’s Sheds, Wellbeing Works, Dundee and Angus Recycled Wood, Transition Dundee, Musicians, Dundee Community Food Network (Faith in Community) – various community food larders/hubs, University of Dundee (Trudy, Jenny Glen, Mel Woods), Dundee Natural History Society, Dundee Botanics, Eden Communities (Big Lunch) Tayside Bioregioning, NEON Digital, Creative Dundee, Buglife, Nourish Scotland, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Community Food Strategy (DCC Communities Team), Douglas Community Centre, Dundee Leisure and Culture (various libraries), WeeCAIR poet in residence Giovanna Mackenna, Art and Nature Collective, Dundee Botanic Gardens, horse manure owners, Tay Tree Surgeon (donates wood chip), Peter Marshall farm (donated 100 blueberries).