How to turn your community garden into a thriving hub

Yourspace.sutton is a warm, welcoming place rooted in the south London community it serves, reaching thousands of local people. Neighbours come together to volunteer, garden, chat, learn and play in this vibrant shared space – shaped by the community, for the community.

In 2025, this community gardening group's achievements were recognised with 

Brambles and potential 

What is now a thriving community garden began as a neglected patch of land at the back of a park in Sutton. Founder Kevin Plicio recalls: “I got into horticulture in a teaching sense. I was delivering City & Guilds training in parks in Morden. When I took on this place in 2010, it was derelict, unloved and wild – a site full of brambles and potential. I knew I wanted to grow a garden, but that would have been impossible without people. I had to grow my volunteer base, so I got the word out there and it has grown and grown.”

Thanks to a team of dedicated volunteers, Yourspace.sutton is open to the community five days a week 

Volunteers value the sense of community and belonging

Projects feel worthwhile and everyone’s ideas are valued

Nothing goes to waste

The garden has been created entirely from salvaged, recycled and upcycled materials – all provided by local people, local businesses or rescued from nearby skips and building projects.

A method of growing new plants from parts of an existing plant, such as sections of root, stem, leaf or bud. When prepared correctly and planted in the right conditions, they can produce roots and eventually become independent plants. There is a wide range of different methods for taking cuttings, depending on the plant and time of year.

cuttings

The group runs three drop-in sessions a week for volunteers

A local nutritionist regularly leads Mindful Monday wellbeing sessions 

Plants and nature are a real leveller

At Yourspace.sutton, volunteers have the opportunity to learn new skills and pursue their passions – woodworking, gardening, building and beekeeping to name just a few. There’s something for everyone.

People visit the garden for all kinds of reasons, but what keeps them returning is the sense of connection, the friendships formed, the welcoming atmosphere and the joy of being part of something meaningful together, an ever-evolving journey.

Honey is produced and sold on site to raise funds

Volunteers don’t need gardening experience – there are a variety of jobs for everyone

The group’s Facebook and Instagram pages feature regular updates and have a combined following of more than 8,000

Sometimes good can come out of adversity

The group has learned to be self‑enterprising rather than rely on external funding. Today, Yourspace.sutton is sustained entirely through its own activity, from plant nursery and tearoom sales to workshops, space hire for local providers and even honey produced on site.

The group has had its share of challenges including an arson attack in 2019

Looking ahead 

The future looks bright for this south London group. “Things are evolving all the time. We’ve just launched a new website and have plans for a Japanese koi garden, a community kitchen, a visitor centre, a butterfly house and an art space,” says Kevin. “We’re opening up more and more of the site. Through doing what we’re doing we’ve achieved a lot together but there’s still so much more to come.”