Why is green space so crucial in built-up, busy Dalston? Today’s ‘Inspired by Nature’ session with Year One pupils from Holy Trinity Primary School provides the perfect answer. Like most Dalston residents, many of the children do not have their own gardens. Here at the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden, they can spot a butterfly, hold a snail in the palm of their hands, delve their hands into soil, wonder at the multitude of different sizes and shapes of leaves and flowers, sow their first seed - and two weeks later see it magically turn into a tiny plant.
Not only do our sessions teach hands on gardening skills and capitalise on the creative inspiration that the natural environment provides, they encourage the children to develop a love of and respect for nature and give them ownership and responsibility for a space within their neighbourhood.
In our hectic Dalston environment which is ever changing, nothing feels constant - blink and it can feel as though the whole landscape has changed. Of course, nature is ever changing too, but its pace is steadier, and there is something grounding and reassuring about seeing the seasons come, and go, and come around again.
Whether you are 6 or 76, connecting with nature can bring peace, headspace, inspiration and joy. We believe everyone - wherever they live - has an equal right to enjoy and benefit from green space right on their doorstep.