Greenspace SOS - SAVE OUR SPACE!

Greenspace SOS are excited to introduce a new project that aims to ‘identify unutilised greenspaces and renovate them for the wellbeing of their community, residents, and local environment’. Inspired by the ‘gorilla gardening’ movement, ‘phantom planters’, and similar services in America and Australia, this UK project will offer a free clearance and renovation service to nominated spaces, so that residents and communities can reclaim and reinvent the wasted spaces in their communities.

The SOS is the name stands for ‘SAVE OUR SPACE!’ Throughout our communities, there are greenspaces that have been neglected by their councils, housing associations, or associated landowners. Spaces that offer very little or nothing to its community, and require petrol and diesel-fueled maintenance services to decimate them once or twice a year. Presenting a waste of resources, a waste of space, and most tragically, a waste of an opportunity.

Hi, btw, we are Gav, Paul, and Ian. Our shared experience and expertise is in horticulture, sustainable landscape maintenance, and property development.

But our shared passion is multi-functional greenspaces. Multi-functional greenspaces offer countless opportunities for environmental and health-and-wellbeing benefits. Sensory gardens, wildlife conservation, physical activity, gardening, active aging, food growing and harvesting, outdoor classrooms, mindfulness, climate change resilience… the list is endless. We want to combine this passion with the opportunities presented by unutilised greenspaces and gardens to contribute positively to the health-and-wellbeing of people and communities.

Greenspace SOS will work on a nomination basis, where anyone can nominate a space, garden, or resident in their community that they think deserves a bit of TLC. Think schools, community groups, allotments, elderly neighbours, neighbours in poor physical or mental health. After choosing a space, Greenspace SOS would then undertake the service for free, clearing the overgrowth and creating a space that the successful nominee can utilise and enjoy.

All of our projects will be filmed, edited and shared throughout our social media platforms spreading positive, warm-hearted, feel-good content for everyone to enjoy. In a digital world often dominated by hate, division, politics and harmful propaganda, we want to offer scrollers and swipers something to put a smile on their face, and perhaps inspire ideas of how spaces amongst their own communities could be re-invented.

Initial funds will go towards delivering our first projects. This might include tools, materials, plants, and responsible waste removal and recycling. As all the projects will be delivered at no cost to the nominee, we intend to keep the GoFundMe page active to help us to continue to run the service, manage new projects, and create as many amazing spaces for amazing people as we can. We can't wait to get going! :D

Thank you for considering Greenspace SOS for a generous donation. All donations will contribute towards improving the lives and well-being of worthy people and groups in our beautifully unique and diverse communities.

Gav, Paul, and Ian

Greenspace SOS