Janine GriffithsPeople from across East Leeds came together to celebrate food, nature and community at the Let’s Grow East Leeds Festival, with organisers hoping the day will inspire even more people to take action where they live.
The family event, centred around Chapel FM and Seacroft Community Forest Garden on Saturday, July 25, featured stalls, arts and crafts, a live cooking demonstration, healthy food tasting, performances and a community forum.
Visitors also enjoyed Madam Zucchini’s vegetable puppet show and vegetable-themed crafts before activities moved to Chapel FM.
Around 50 volunteers helped deliver the festival. Organisers estimated around 25 young people attended, alongside 30 to 40 members of the public throughout the day.
Natalie Quatermass said the festival was about much more than just gardening.
“It’s really all about bringing loads of different community groups together, all relating to growing food or nature and community. Today was also about having fun, being creative, engaging with people of all ages, learning how to grow, cook and eat food together, because that is what is at the heart of community,” she explained, adding: “It’s amazing just to see all these people with smiles on their faces, everyone getting stuck in learning stuff.”
The afternoon concluded with a community forum, where local people and community leaders were given the chance to discuss ideas for improving their neighbourhoods and encouraging future projects.
Natalie said: “What I really love about this kind of community action is that you can spark ideas and inspiration.”
She added: “The purpose is to bring everyone together and have a discussion about community action and where we go next. It’s sort of a launch pad to see what else happens, and that one idea launches another idea.”
Local stalls included a display from the Leeds & District Badger Group, a stall teaching people to make flowers, a workshop from Seacroft Cycles and an art installation featuring the sounds of nature.
One of the other major attractions at Chapel FM was an observation beehive, where visitors could get an up-close look at bees and learn more about their vital role in nature.
Kate Turner, who runs educational sessions with the portable hive said inspiring people to appreciate the important role that bees play in our ecosystem was a key part of her work.
She explained: “I teach other people about bees because they’re absolutely fascinating. They’re so important for everything. They produce three quarters of the foods that we eat.”
Visitors also got a chance to try their hands at making their own candles from Beeswax.
Anyone interested in learning more about Let’s Grow East Leeds can visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Support independent community journalism!
East Side Story covers the people, places and stories in Leeds that are too often overlooked. While national headlines chase conflict and clickbait, we focus on real communities and the issues shaping daily life in East Leeds.
Divisive content, AI noise and online rumours spread faster than ever. At the same time, many mainstream outlets are stretched and rarely spotlight the community organisations and local champions who deserve recognition.
East Side Story was created to change that. We answer only to our readers. We have no corporate owners or billionaire funders. Our journalists report freely, ask difficult questions and hold power to account.
Your support helps us keep this work going. Monthly contributions make the biggest impact because they allow us to invest in deeper reporting and fearless local journalism.
Supporters also receive exclusive updates, behind the scenes insights and other benefits as a thank you for keeping independent journalism alive.
