GIA (Gardening In Action)
GIA is a Community Interest Company which seeks to grow the joy of plants and gardening in everyone: enriching lives, building communities, increasing employment opportunities, advocating good horticultural practice, and positively impacting the environment.
Please visit https://growingtoolkit.org/ to learn more about our key project - The Growing Community Toolkit. The Growing Community Toolkit is a free resource for community groups and volunteers in East Sussex. It’s created by community volunteers to provide the accurate and practical information you need to set up and run a community group or community garden. You’ll find everything from getting insurance to growing carrots!
We also offer practical support to community gardens, we run friendly and inclusive gardening workshops in community spaces, we help run the Peverells Community Garden in Seaford (in partnership with Roots Rising CIC) and we operate a successful horticultural into work programme to help people into employment.
Please take a look around our website. Please get in touch if we can help - we'd love to hear from you!
Community gardens
We've worked with many groups and initiatives throughout East Sussex. If you run a community garden, look after a community space or are thinking about doing so please get in touch - perhaps we can help! This might be anything from advice on what to grow and when to plant, through to how to set up a community group, where to look for funding and what to do about insurance.
Some examples of the community gardens we're working with at the moment are: Falmer Station Community Garden, The Compound at St Leonard's On Sea and The Land at Harbour Heights, Newhaven. Have a look at our Community Gardens pages to find out more.
Photo: The Compound community garden at St Leonard's
Photo: The Peverell's Garden, Seaford - with Roots Rising CIC
The Peverell's Garden
A little-known play park called The Peverells in the Cradle Hill area of Seaford is home to a secret garden! The Peverells play park also encompasses The Cabin which has been developing its growing space.
Our secret garden is developing fast: we've now got a polytunnel, secure fencing, storage and raised beds. Coming soon will be a greenhouse and wheelchair matting to make the site accessible. And of course, a seating area for tea, coffee and chatting!
The Peverell's Garden is adjacent to Raymond Close in Seaford. BN25 3DW, located behind The Cabin, at the top left-hand corner of the play park.
We run inclusive volunteer sessions and workshops. If you'd like to find out more or get involved we'd love to hear from you!
Find out more about The Peverell's, including how to find us!
The Peverell's garden is a collaborative project delivered by GIA CIC and Roots Rising CIC.
'Cultivate' into work programme
The Cultivate training programme provides job seekers, career changers, and college students with quality work experience. Hours volunteered and skills learned will be documented with employment references provided*. Training is given in a range of horticulture skills by qualified, experienced horticulturalists.
We've been running the programme since 2022, and of the 39 people who've joined the programme, 34 have successfully found employment, or moved into other training and 5 are with us.
Our only requirement is that you're over 16 years old. We'd ideally like a regular commitment of 2 to 16 hours a week but could accommodate a smaller or larger number of hours. We have a positive attitude to overcoming mental and physical challenges and would love to work with you and support your journey to accessing the career you seek.
We are happy to talk to work coaches and colleges regarding placements.
Photo: Cultivate users pruning street trees in Seaford
Photo: bespoke fruit tree pruning workshop for Trees for Seaford volunteers, in association with Peacehaven Community Orchard
Gardening Workshops
GIA promotes health and wellbeing through community gardening. One way we do this is by running friendly and inclusive workshops at community gardens and events, as well as bespoke workshops for community groups.
Our workshops are a way for people to make new connections, work alongside others and learn a new skill.
Especially if you think gardening 'isn't for me', we'd encourage you to come along and have a go!
We'll let you know details of upcoming workshops on our website, facebook and instagram.