Summer 2018 has been ACLI’s most productive yet! With volunteer days held every Thursday, successful open days, and school groups visiting to help out during term time, the community gardens have been bustling with life. Below are photos which highlight the success of this summer!
Visiting Groups
Groups from Arran High School and Whiting Bay Primary School have enjoyed learning and helping out in the community gardens, despite the often unpredictable weather that Scottish summers bring. Thanks to Whiting Bay Primary School P6/P7s who have planted 70 native trees and looked after the veg patches as part of their John Muir award! We had a fabulous day with 140 pupils from Arran High School and teachers with loads of teacher-led activities to get stuck into!
A tea party was held in the Community Hub, for Contact the Elderly!
Open Days
Our open day on the 5th of May involved informative talks with visiting Apple expert, John Hancox, camp fire cooking and herb box making!
The open day on 28th July was busy with members of the community getting involved in activities such as ‘dig your own’ potatoes, camp fire cooking, den building, an Arran Bee Group hive demo, as well as relaxing strolls around the garden, allotments and orchards!
Arran Farmers’ Show 
ACLI’s stall at the Arran Farmers’ Show attracted lots of attention from both visitors and locals. Luckily the rain stayed off until the afternoon, so the show was busy – a great opportunity for people to learn about the project. Spot Cleo, one of our Trustee’s dogs, manning the stall!
Volunteer Days and Garden Produce
Below are some photos of our weekly volunteer days, and some of the bountiful produce harvested from the community allotments and poly tunnels this summer. Veg has been available throughout the summer for purchase at the hub building. We would like to say a massive thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers, allotment holders and trustees, and last but definitely not least – our modern apprentice Kieran, and two gardeners, Matt and Darren. Here’s to many more years of community involvement and local food cultivation!
For further information, photos, and updates on events and volunteer days please visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/arrancommunityland/