'Guerilla gardening'

Greening neglected spots

SNUG has rescued, cleaned up and greened up several local spots. Previously, these were eye-sores: neglected, overgrown, full of rubbish and mainly used for anti-social behaviour. In our view neglected places get filled with rubbish - so we prefer to fill them with flowers. Now they are usually clear of litter and planted with an interesting range of plants.

The sites so far are :

The corner of Filey Avenue and Chardmore Road
The garden at number 1 Osbaldeston Rd
Front of Rectory Road train station
The platforms & side of Stoke Newington Station - with the help of Energy Gardens
Sanford Terrace

The corner of Filey avenue and Chardmore Road

had been planted to an extent, but nonetheless looked like a waste area, and possibly for that reason, it attracted a lot of fly-tipping: bags of household rubbish as well as litter.

Number 1 Osbaldeston road

While this garden had once been very well tended and contained five trees, it had been abandoned for several years and in that time used for builders' rubble and a toilet. Our first task was digging out many square meters of nettles. As well as planting and tending, we raised money to pay a local crafts man to build two seats and a neighbour built a library case, which is popular. Other local residents donated sleepers which helped form a flower bed. This garden is now a popular little oasis.

Front of Rectory Road train station, first clearing and planting 2011
and 2020...

Stoke Newington Train Station

Year 1

Sanford Terrace

In addition we have transformed 4 gardens in Sanford Terrace, mainly because the people living there were unable to do so themselves, due to illness of disability. Spearheaded by a resident on the Terrace, most of these gardens had become seriously overgrown with trees, brambles, nettles etc.