Four projects have been nominated in the environmental category in BBC Radio Devon’s Make a Difference Awards. The Growing Well Garden in Bow, the Sampford Peverell Tree Wardens in mid-Devon, Shallowford Farm on Dartmoor, and Sustainable Hatherleigh are being recognised for making their communities more eco-friendly, wilder and healthier. They are doing this in a range of ways from planting trees and growing vegetables, to leading bug hunts and rediscovering nature. The winners of the Make a Difference awards are due to be announced on 24 September at Buckfast Abbey.
Growing Well Garden is part of a green social prescribing project, where gardening is used as a therapeutic tool and helps a doctor connect with her patients in a different way. Dr Susan Taheri is an NHS GP at Bow Medical Practice and the founder of Growing Well Garden project – she said the scheme reignited her passion for being a GP. She said meeting patients in a garden can have benefits compared to seeing them a consulting room and describes the garden as her “happy place”. “There’s a lot more getting your hands dirty and not worrying too much about germs,” she said.
Shallowford Farm in the heart of Dartmoor aims to make rural life accessible. Retired horticulturalist Charles Staniland’s love for the outdoors started in early childhood and he now volunteers there, teaching young people to get their hands dirty. He said he wanted to show a more physical approach to food, that it doesn’t just show up on a plate, and that it’s something they can contribute to. Staniland hopes the project can “encourage a new generation to understand and value the world around them”.
“It takes people out of a concrete environment – it’s a very good first step into a greener environment,” he said. Sampford Peverell Tree Wardens are an independent, environmentally-focused, volunteer based group which takes care of the parish’s greenery. For Pete Drew and the other wardens, looking after the environment is a community effort, often powered by cake. The group plants, protects and maintains trees and hedges on publicly owned land, working with councils and landowners.
He said it was about “taking pride in where you live and making local spaces better for everyone”. Sustainable Hatherleigh runs a range of projects to support the community, from leading bug hunts and encouraging wildflowers and biodiversity in the local graveyard to community composting and running a repair café. Their site in the middle of the town has now been recognised as a county wildlife site. Jo Pullin and Sustainable Hatherleigh hope to create a resilient future for the area.
Jo Pullin from Sustainable Hatherleigh, Dr Susan Taheri from Growing Well Garden, Charles Staniland from Shallowford Farm and Pete Drew from Sampford Tree Wardens are finalists in the awards. Follow BBC Devon on X, external, Facebook, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk, external.
