Lakeside Garden Club
Grow, nurture, and create in our garden this Autumn.
We are extending our programme with thanks to the Thamesmead Community Fund. This enables us to keep the garden accessible and activated until Christmas. We will continue in Spring 2025 after a break over winter. Our extended programme sees returning artists delivering new activities and new collaborations with local garden designers and florists.
We will endeavor to host workshops in the garden but in the event of poor weather, we will bring the activity inside.
Saturday 23rd November 2024 , 11:00am to 2:00pm
The Lakeside Garden Club is a free programme designed to introduce ways of growing and nourishing a garden while also connecting with creativity through making, observing, and cooking.
Sessions will be held fortnightly at the Lakeside Centre garden space.The activities will change fortnightly, although some will run across 2 sessions. These are all listed below.
All are welcome to take part, but children must be supervised. Each session will have a books and crafts station, tea & coffee, and space to relax in the gardens. All materials will be provided.
Sessions will be led by knowledgeable Bow Arts artists.
Please book you free space on Eventbrite. Booking closes 24 hrs before the session starts.
Walk-in spaces are available, but limited.
Upcoming Activities
28th September – Harvesting and cooking a FEAST
To celebrate the end of the main growing season and the coming together of local residents in the making of the Garden Club, we will be harvesting and preparing food, utilising vegetables, herbs, fruit and edible flowers from the garden.
Please bring something along to share and do get in touch if you have any allergies or dietary requirements. We will be preparing food quantities in accordance with this information.
Creating a woodland edge (Two sessions)
12th October – Creating a woodland edge (part one)
We will be running 2 final planting sessions this season focusing on ‘woodland edge’ style planting to enhance the entrance to the Lakeside Centre. We will be improving soil, pruning existing shrubs and planting bulbs and herbaceous plants. You will learn about planting style, technique, seasonality and maintenance.
Please bring along gloves if you have them.
26th October – Creating a woodland edge (part two)
Join local garden designer, Rebecca Erol in our second session, focusing on ‘woodland edge’ style planting to enhance the entrance to the Lakeside Centre. We will be improving soil, pruning existing shrubs and planting bulbs and herbaceous plants. You will learn about planting style, technique, seasonality and maintenance.
@rebeccaegardens spends her time designing and planting up gardens around southeast London, when she’s not enjoying her own little plot at home in Abbey Wood.
Please bring along gloves if you have them.
9th November – Marbling with Chloe Cooper
Try out ebru – the ancient Turkish art of paper marbling – with local artist Chloe Cooper. We’ll seek inspiration from the colours and shapes of plants and flowers to create swirling patterns by dropping paint onto powdered seaweed.
Everyone will leave with a selection of prints.
23rd November – Repurposing plastic waste with Plastic Please
Our goal is to transform waste materials into unique and functional pieces of design. By fusing together commonplace plastic waste we create a flexible, waterproof and colourful fabric which can then be cut, sewn and decorated. The workshop requires clean LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) like shopping bags and bubble wrap.
Please bring along any LDPE plastic which you would like to use to create your designs (Identified by the number 4 in a triangle).
7th December – Wreath Making with Nancy Thornber
In this wreath making workshop you will learn how to create your own seasonal and sustainable wreath using some foraged materials from the local area and other natural materials.
You will learn techniques and design tips to make a unique wreath to take home and hang on your door.
Past Activities
18th May
Activity 1: Building communal wooden planters
Activity 2: Introduction to growing vegetables and herbs
1st June
Activity 1: Building communal wooden planters
Activity 2: Introduction to growing cut flowers
15th June
Activity 1: Recycled paper-making with wild flowers, plants and seeds.
Activity 2: Sewing biennial flowers
29th June
Activity 1: Creating a mosaic table top
Activity 2: Maintaining the gardens and renovating the garden seating
13th July
Activity 1: Creating a mosaic table top
Activity 2: Cooking with garden produce
27th July
Activity 1: Using watercolours to draw from the garden.
Activity 2: Growing vegetables and flowers over winter.
3rd August
Activity 1: Creating ceramic tableware for the end of Summer feast
Activity 2: Cooking with garden produce
7th September
Activity 1: Creating a giant collage on the fence.
Activity 2: Harvesting and cooking a Summer feast
Please note, Programme Activities are subject to change, and updates will be available on the @lakeside_centre Instagram account and the Bow Arts website.
The artists delivering these sessions are: Anne Poole, Miyuki Kasahara, Gary Drostle, Edita Juchneviciene, Mariana Alemany, Marcus Orlandi, Dominika Kieruzel, and Chloe Cooper.
Access Information
The nearest public transport station is Abbey Wood (National Rail, Elizabeth Line).
You can access the Lakeside Centre by bus routes 117, 180, 229, 401, 472, 601, 602 669, N1
Please note parking is not available.
Bike shed on site.
Lakeside Centre facilities: Public toilets with wheelchair access and baby changing facilities.
For full access information and queries, please email eandp@bowarts.com.
