Hedgehog Herbs is also committed to a wildlife area at Queens Park, Brighton which it has developed over the years. Over the years we have turned a waste area into a thriving wildlife area making it more suitable for a greater diversity of fauna and flora.

We also run many educational and creative craft orientated workshops. Educational workshops tackling sustainability, green issues and the everyday health benefits of herbs and other plants are also run in the space.

The herb garden encourages people to get involved and local people volunteer their services and come to learn about environmental issues and get to meet other people from their community. We currently have about 40 members.

By running workshops in the wildlife area of Queens Park we try and raise awareness of plants and how they can be used. In doing so we are tackling issues about health, and how nature can heal with food or herbs that are commonly eaten. This encourages people to eat well and think about health issues and hopefully will have real benefits in empowering them to engage with their own health and environment in a proactive an positive way.

We also run a variety of different craft and educational workshops teaching and helping people make baskets, felts, paper and natural dyes.

By running educational workshops we hope to be able to share information and teach people a range of different, fun, creative and useful skills as well as getting the community involved in gardening, local issues and seed planting.

Over the past few years there have been many magic moments in the garden, many of these are moments are impromptu discoveries of other people’s use of the space. I have seen mothers’ breastfeeding in a secluded and sheltered spot, youths coming together and enjoying the space without recourse to vandalism. Older people who come and take an interest and share their own experiences and knowledge of plants and life, some of the most fascinating to do with allotments during the war. We have attracted new birds and now bird lovers come and feed the birds.

I see how important plants are as an integral part of our everyday lives, both practically and also crucially in creating a space which is living, in the sense that things are alive and growing and that a real variety of people are involved and using the space to make it vibrant and accessible to all. A space which provides a healing ambience and which promotes, peace, timelessness, and helps encourage and support people coming together in sharing, talking and learning.