Garden aims
To create and maintain green spaces for wildlife, plants and people.
To support enjoyment and learning about nature
To promote an inclusive community and nurture wellbeing
Principles
FGCG has a strong environmental focus, as reflected in the aims set out from the start of the Garden nearly ten years ago.
- To create a positive vision of Forest Gate as a vibrant, abundant, joyful community in which to live which encourages gardening and propagating, reduces waste, encourages reuse, and to inspire the people of Forest Gate to work towards that vision.
- To take action, through education, practical projects and participatory planning, towards:
- greatly reducing waste of water, land and other resources, so the city contributes its share of the global effort to help avoid dangerous climate change
- improving Forest Gate’s resilience to climate change, so that we are able to provide for our core needs, like food, energy, entertainment etc as locally as possible
3 To support and work with other community gardens and similar community-led initiatives in the area.
Delivery
In the delivery of all projects and events, FGCG will ensure that the carbon footprint and environmental impact is kept as low as possible:
- FGCG will encourage walking and cycling. Non-essential car use will be kept to a minimum.
- Educating local people and especially children on environmental principles will be a priority.
- Packaging will be kept to a minimum, and single use plastic avoided.
- Food growing as practised in the community garden, and demonstrated at workshops, will be done according to organic and sustainable principles. Composting and understanding soil development will be an important theme.
- FGCG will raise awareness of the need to adapt planting and growing practices to the changing climate, for example through the choice of drought resistant plants.
- FGCG will be mindful of the need to reduce waste of all kinds. Re-use and upcycling will be practised wherever possible. The garden does not wish to receive donations of plastic plant pots or other non sustainable goods unless specifically requested.
- Rainwater harvesting is practised in the community garden. There is now a mains water supply via a tap but use will be restricted.
- Energy efficiency will be practised at all events, and workshops run to raise awareness of energy efficiency at all levels
- FGCG will support and promote local businesses and groups that are actively green and sustainable.
- FGCG will encourage the productive use of land that has been previously underused or neglected by working with partners to encourage the right planting and maintenance.
- FGCG will maximise opportunities to raise awareness of the local environment, for example through nature walks/talks/observation/ a regular nature blog on the website/experiencing the dawn chorus.
- Through all projects and events, FGCG will raise awareness of the issues of climate and ecological breakdown, of what can be done locally to mitigate these emergencies, and of what is already happening.
Planning
FGCG will support the local council’s emerging Climate Emergency Plans where they coincide with our own aims.
All volunteers will be made aware of FGCG , and of the above practices where relevant to a particular event or project.
In assessing a proposed new project the environmental impact will be one of the criteria used to decide whether it should go ahead or not. Ideally the impact would be positive, and any project judged to have a negative impact will be rejected.
END OF POLICY
Reviewed and signed off by the Trustees November 2023
Review Date November 2026
Garden aims
To create and maintain green spaces for wildlife, plants and people.
To support enjoyment and learning about nature
To promote an inclusive community and nurture wellbeing
Principles
FGCG welcomes complaints as it means FGCG can improve what FGCG do.
The garden will deal with complaints as quickly as possible.
The complainant will be kept informed at each stage.
The garden will share the learning with the complainant and others.
In the rest of this document the complainant is referred to as ‘you’.
FGCG will deal with your complaint
FGCG do not look on complaints as unwanted. In fact, they may help us to see where things might be improved. So do let us know where you feel FGCG have made a mistake or done something which you found unsatisfactory or unacceptable. Even if you do not think your particular concern amounts to a 'complaint' FGCG would still like to know about it. You may help us to deal with something FGCG would otherwise overlook.
How to complain
Step 1: Contacting us
The first step is to talk to a member of the Garden Coordinator or a trustee. This can be done quite informally, either directly or by email or phone. Usually, the best member to talk to will be the person who dealt with the matter you are concerned about, as they will be in the best position to help you quickly and to put things right.
If the issue relates to child protection, please speak to one of our Child Protection Policy Coordinators, Myanah Saunders.
FGCG will try to resolve the problem on the spot if we can. If FGCG can't do this, for example, because information FGCG need is not to hand, then FGCG will take a record of your concern and arrange the best way and time for getting back to you. This will normally be within seven working days or FGCG will make some other arrangement acceptable to you.
Step 2: Taking your complaint further
FGCG hope you will only feel the need to make a formal complaint as a last resort and that you will complain to the person dealing with the matter first to give them a chance to put things right.
However, if you are still unhappy, the next step is to put your complaint in writing to the Chair of the Trustees, setting out the details, explaining what you think went wrong and what you feel would put things right. Once the Chair receives a written complaint, he/she will arrange for it to be fully investigated.
Your complaint will be acknowledged in writing within seven working days of receiving it and the letter will say when you can expect a full response. This should normally be within three weeks unless the matter is very complicated. Where this is the case, FGCG will still let you know what action is being taken and tell you when FGCG expect to provide you with a full response.
Step 3: The next stage
If you are not satisfied with the Chair's investigation you can always seek advice from a mutually agreed third party outside the organisation, such as an advice agency or other organisation. FGCG will provide you with details of any local services if FGCG can.
END OF POLICY
First devised July 2022
Approved by Trustees July 2023 To be reviewed March 2025 2024
Garden aims
To create and maintain green spaces for wildlife, plants and people.
To support enjoyment and learning about nature
To promote an inclusive community and nurture wellbeing
Principles
FGCG welcomes complaints as it means FGCG can improve what FGCG do.
The garden will deal with complaints as quickly as possible.
The complainant will be kept informed at each stage.
The garden will share the learning with the complainant and others.
In the rest of this document the complainant is referred to as ‘you’.
FGCG will deal with your complaint
FGCG do not look on complaints as unwanted. In fact, they may help us to see where things might be improved. So do let us know where you feel FGCG have made a mistake or done something which you found unsatisfactory or unacceptable. Even if you do not think your particular concern amounts to a 'complaint' FGCG would still like to know about it. You may help us to deal with something FGCG would otherwise overlook.
How to complain
Step 1: Contacting us
The first step is to talk to a member of the Garden Coordinator or a trustee. This can be done quite informally, either directly or by email or phone. Usually, the best member to talk to will be the person who dealt with the matter you are concerned about, as they will be in the best position to help you quickly and to put things right.
If the issue relates to child protection, please speak to one of our Child Protection Policy Coordinators, Myanah Saunders.
FGCG will try to resolve the problem on the spot if we can. If FGCG can't do this, for example, because information FGCG need is not to hand, then FGCG will take a record of your concern and arrange the best way and time for getting back to you. This will normally be within seven working days or FGCG will make some other arrangement acceptable to you.
Step 2: Taking your complaint further
FGCG hope you will only feel the need to make a formal complaint as a last resort and that you will complain to the person dealing with the matter first to give them a chance to put things right.
However, if you are still unhappy, the next step is to put your complaint in writing to the Chair of the Trustees, setting out the details, explaining what you think went wrong and what you feel would put things right. Once the Chair receives a written complaint, he/she will arrange for it to be fully investigated.
Your complaint will be acknowledged in writing within seven working days of receiving it and the letter will say when you can expect a full response. This should normally be within three weeks unless the matter is very complicated. Where this is the case, FGCG will still let you know what action is being taken and tell you when FGCG expect to provide you with a full response.
Step 3: The next stage
If you are not satisfied with the Chair's investigation you can always seek advice from a mutually agreed third party outside the organisation, such as an advice agency or other organisation. FGCG will provide you with details of any local services if FGCG can.
END OF POLICY
First devised July 2022
Approved by Trustees July 2023 To be reviewed March 2025 2024