Our City Is Changing

Cork City Council manages over 607ha of green space including: 29 ha 38 24 wildflower meadows Parks Playgrounds

100 Planters around Cork City

137 individual allotment spaces

including 5 Green Flag Parks

As well as managing green spaces, Cork City Council works closely with schools and community groups, supporting and advising on local initiatives. They provide materials and manpower to projects like community gardens, educational initiatives, Tidy Towns and Men’s Sheds.

“I contacted Green Spaces for Health, who gave me lots of advice and put me in touch with Health Action Zone, the nearby Glen Community Garden and Cork City Council. We had the support of the Parks Department and local Councillors and despite some challenges, the site was made available to us in early 2021. The Parks Department workforce cut the grass and did the initial tidy up, ready for us to take delivery of planters and crops for planting - all donated by Cork Health Action Zone. Since then, Cork City Council has cleared an overgrown area where we’ve planted a native hedge, they dispose of the litter we collect and they have provided a storage unit for all our tools. Three years on, the community enjoys a bounty of fruit and vegetables. We have planted an apple orchard, a pear tree and will soon be adding a plum tree. Our herb garden is full of fragrance and the wildlife is thriving in this biodiverse habitat. We have 45 WhatsApp group members, with 20 regularly volunteering in the garden. A project like this is not all plain sailing and there are challenges along the way but keeping the faith and persevering are essential for success. This garden has brought so much joy and I am honoured to be part of such a powerful transformative process. It’s a win for the community and the wildlife too.”

CARLA PITTAM

on how she helped create a community garden in St. Lukes’s.

Carla Pittam, a native of Rome, has literally put down roots in Cork. She lives in St. Luke’s with her husband and son but it was memories of her grandmother’s garden and a simple desire to grow a few lettuce leaves for her family, that led her to spearhead the drive for a community garden. “Initially, I wanted to take an allotment but the waiting list was 2-3 years. I walked my dog around the St. Luke’s area and was aware of this piece of land. While it was littered and unkempt it had glorious views over the city and that is when I had a lightbulb moment.”