Could you help shape OCLT’s green spaces work?

We’re exploring whether there’s an appetite for a small group of people to get more involved in the green spaces strand of OCLT’s work.

At this stage, this is simply an expression of interest. We’re not committing to setting up a new group – we’d first like to find out who might be interested, and what skills, experience and enthusiasm people could bring.

It could be a chance for OCLT members and others to get involved specifically in this strand of our work, helping us think about how community-led green spaces could develop in Oxford and the surrounding area.

What could a Green Spaces Group do?

OCLT already has community allotments at Denny Gardens in Littlemore, and one possibility would be for a group to help support the ongoing stewardship of that space.

There could also be opportunities to identify neglected or underused pieces of land in and around Oxford that have the potential to become useful community green spaces – whether for food growing, community gardens, parklets or other shared uses.

Other possibilities might include building relationships with neighbourhood groups, residents’ associations and other organisations; exploring funding opportunities; and contributing ideas and expertise to the design and development of future spaces.

These are only suggestions. If there is enough interest, and collectively the right mix of skills and experience, we could then explore whether forming an OCLT working group would be worthwhile. Any group that did emerge would have the opportunity to help shape its own remit and decide how best to contribute.

Why green spaces?

Too many spaces in and around Oxford sit unused or neglected, while some parts of the city still lack good-quality green space for food production, leisure and community use.

Bringing overlooked land into community use has the potential to create places that are biodiverse, attractive and genuinely useful to the people who live nearby.

For now, though, we’re simply exploring whether there’s an appetite for this idea.

If it sounds like something you might like to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.

To express your interest, contact Megan at megan@oclt.org.uk.