Welcome to Brockley Station Community Gardens
Community Gardening For All
Our Mission
We are the community gardeners who look after Brockley Station Community Gardens. BCAG was established in 2000 as a way of creating a more engaged active community through events and spaces. The garden you see today was developed in partnership with BCAG, Lewisham Council and Network Rail. It was designed and planted in 2010 by local volunteers and is cared for by the group. We have colourful flower beds, a woodland area and a herb garden, as well as seating and chilling out areas in amongst nature.
Our mission is to give to the community gardens for everyone to enjoy, as well as nurturing, protecting and encouraging biodiversity to thrive. We continue to maintain the gardens, enhancing this community space for people and nature to thrive together.
Community gardening is open to everyone. To find out how to get involved in the group please head to the volunteering page.
Community
We love seeing the gardens develop and what they mean to the local community. The street closure has transformed the area and the space has become what we envisioned all those years ago; a calm, safe haven where people can dwell and enjoy a cup of coffee amongst nature. Caring for this green space that everyone can enjoy, as well as a creating a place for nature sits at the heart of the group.
Local businesses are involved in the gardens and recognise how they enhance the area, this is a testament to working together.
Our aim is to maintain and further enhance the gardens which evolves each year. To continue to create a natural harmony with people and biodiversity in the gardens and on Coulgate Street. The temporary road closure during Covid has had a positive impact on the gardens, biodiversity and the community experience for people visiting or passing through the area.
Biodiversity
We have developed the garden as a haven for wildlife. There are birds in the woodland and a great variety of insects in the flower beds and meadow. Bees, wasps, butterflies, hoverflies, moths and beetles play an important part as pollinators in our ecosystems.
As Sir David Attenborough said, ‘If we and the rest of the back-boned animals were to disappear overnight, the rest of the world would get on pretty well. But if the invertebrates were to disappear, the land's ecosystems would collapse. Wherever we go on land, these small creatures are within a few inches of our feet – often disregarded. We would do very well to remember them.’
During the last 40 years there has been steep decline in these types of insects. Our gardens contribute to the conservation of some of these important little creatures. To achieve this our plan includes increasing the number of plants and flowers to create food for pollinators in early Spring to late Autumn encouraging biodiversity and attracting wildlife to the local area. We we do not use any peat, insecticides or pesticides which are harmful to the environment.
The Benefits of Community Gardening
Want to get involved?
Nature has a positive impact on health & wellbeing. The physical and mental health benefits of gardening cannot be underestimated. From meeting people, enjoying nature, being outside, micro forest bathing, exercising, making friends to seeing the results of your handiwork in the gardens.
Get your hands dirty in the soil. Did you know it increases serotonin in the brain, the happy chemical. Couple that with the coffee and cake break and it’s the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning. Come rain or shine join us all year round.
A garden is a friend you can visit anytime.
Say Hello
If you are interested in getting involved with Brockley Cross Action Group please have a look at our volunteer page, where we post regular updates on meet ups. For anything else please drop us a line and we will come back to you soon.