How Seacroft Forest Garden Became a Community Haven

Nestled in East Leeds, the Seacroft Forest Garden offers free fresh food, a quiet sanctuary, and connection to nature for local residents. 

Seacroft Forest Garden began in September 2021, when the land was described as an eyesore covered in tall vegetation, rubbish, nettles and bindweed.

This ambitious project was kickstarted by local residents John and Linda who spent two years transforming the site before finally opening it up to the public in 2023.

Five years on, volunteers have created paths, seating areas, growing spaces and new structures, while attracting wildlife and growing an increasingly wide variety of plants.

Founder Linda Otley said the garden has finally reached a point where the years of work was beginning to show.

She added: “I think for a good two and a half years, it felt as though it was running away from us. Nature was taking it back and back, and I thought, are we ever going to tame it? Now finally after five years I actually feel that we have achieved something.”

The project began through Climate Action Seacroft, before becoming a constituted group and successfully securing National Lottery funding.

Since then, the volunteers have continued developing the site and now run between 10-11 free events each year.

The garden now features hundreds of plants and dozens of varieties. These range from standard garden pears, plums, and apples like the bright red Jimmy Greaves tree, to unique items like wasabi, Japanese wineberries, a tiny pomegranate and more. It also provides a home for wildlife, including foxes, green woodpeckers, buzzards, and a resident hedgehog. 

In addition to fruit trees and raised vegetable beds, volunteers have built a living willow dome with double-ended tunnels. They have also added a shelter for bad weather and a sensory garden filled with tactile, scented plants designed for relaxation and visitors with special educational needs or disabilities.

Linda explained the impact of the space: “It’s a place where you can come down and relax, do a little bit of gardening if you want to,” she said. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine. Come down, have a cuppa. The people that we speak to that come to the events, just find it a really relaxing place.”

However, the forest garden serves as more than just a place to grow plants. It also serves as a vital lifeline for local residents that are in need of support.

Co-founder John Otley said the garden’s produce is not simply there to be grown, but to be shared with people who need it. He explained: “If you can grow, you can eat. Quite frankly, the UK is going to be struggling for food, and this is the place to come. We give fruit away left, right, and centre, because it feels better and we like to support local people.”

The sanctuary has long been a place where local people can connect with others, relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 

Jessica Thomas, a volunteer at Seacroft Forest Garden said: “We’ve created it because we want to support the community that we have lived in. I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve seen the deprivation that goes on, the antisocial behaviour. 

“It’s so nice to have a place where you can come and feed your children. You can just relax, and even though we’re next to a main road, it feels like we’re in a beautiful little calm oasis.”

Members of the public can participate in a number of different events, including pumpkin carving, Halloween nights, cooking workshops and more. They also ran a forest school during the school holidays where local children learned about plants, ecology, as well as arts and crafts. 

Linda summed up what the garden means to the neighbourhood: “You can sit down in various areas, just be at one with yourself and nature, and forget about what’s going on in the world or in your own life.”