Growing Places for Wellbeing
Meitheal Folláine
- Growing Places for Wellbeing or Meitheal Folláine is a Health Action Zone initiative. The aim is to support the wellbeing of individuals, groups and organisations in a locally sustainable way. Community Health Workers work with communities to make local biodiversity impacts in imaginative ways.
- Enhancing the unloved corners, edges and neglected green areas of neighborhoods improves well-being.
- Community gardens and local growing projects contribute to both community and ecosystem resilience. Learning to grow and contribute to imagining local biodiversity improves health for all.
- Making time to walk in nature improves sleep, reduces stress and enhances sensory skills.
Eating well boosts our mood, our mental health and wellbeing - Our Local community gardens and growing groups helps improve social sustainability.
Developing community resilience connects with sources of health and promotes nature based solutions . One of the project aims is to enhance the local growing project network.
Health Action Zone builds on existing services and facilities working closely with community health networks:
- The Glen Health Action Zone Community garden
- The Garden Café at the Foyer Blackpool
- St. Mary’s Primary Care Campus Community Gardens
- An Garraí Beag Eco-Therapy garden
- Churchfield Community Trust
- Niche Community Garden Knocknaheeny
- Local Residents Groups
- Green Spaces for health – Cork Healthy Cities
- Cork Food Policy Council
- Mens Sheds
- Cork City Council Parks and recreation
Our ongoing participatory project explores practical projects with individuals and groups.
The project invites participation and contribution from community and agencies. We work using community development partnerships in responding to health needs through empowerment , inclusion and sustainability.
Meitheal Folláine/Growing places for Wellbeing supports local Biodiversity Impact Actions.
We evidence key National, European and International community health action strategies. These include Healthy Ireland, Sustainable Development Goals and Shanghai declaration 2016 – to inform practice and programme development process with communities across our projects.
St Marys Health Campus Gardening Group
The Gardening Group meets every Wednesday from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm in St. Marys Health Campus. The group welcomes volunteers of all experience levels, whether you’re an experienced gardener or simply looking to spend time outdoors and learn something new.
Together, volunteers help to maintain and develop the gardens while enjoying the many physical and mental wellbeing benefits that gardening brings. Throughout the year, we also host gardening workshops, giving participants the opportunity to develop new skills and share ideas in a relaxed and supportive setting. Of course, we always make time for a cup of tea and some treats. As a thank you for their hard work, volunteers also get to take home fresh seasonal produce grown in the garden.
We’re always looking for new volunteers to join us. Whether you’re interested in gardening, meeting new people, or spending time in a peaceful outdoor space, you’ll receive a warm welcome in St. Marys Health Campus gardens.
Contact Community Gardens Development Worker – Rachel Tuesday to Thursday – 087-4844434
or Ailish McDonald Community Health Worker – 087-0979707
Bluebell Understory Network
Bluebell understory network was a project to plant bluebells under 160 trees across 8 communities as a response to community health complaints about spraying chemicals around trees and their health.
Mayfield CDP Community Garden
This group meets in the Mayfield Community Garden behind the CDP.
HAZ works in partnership with the CDP on this project. No experience is necessary, there are regular beginner gardening classes run through CALP and the ETB.
Regardless of your level of experience if you are interested please come along. This garden is very much about sharing of skills and information, joint learning and decision making and coming together as a community to produce food for us to share.
The Glen Community Garden
Our Features & Facilities
- Community Orchard – recently planted, providing apples, pears, plums, and other seasonal fruit for the community.
- Community Market Garden – growing a wide variety of fresh produce which is shared locally, promoting healthy, seasonal eating.
- Sensory Garden – filled with plants chosen for their colour, scent, texture, and sound, offering an inclusive and therapeutic space.
- Community Composting – turning garden and food waste into rich compost, while demonstrating practical climate action.
- Community Polytunnel – for year-round growing and seed propagation.
- Sustainable water Systems – reducing reliance on mains water and promoting sustainable gardening through both rain water harvesting and water from our own well.
- Wildlife-Friendly Spaces – to support biodiversity and pollinators.
- Zen Meditation Area – a peaceful corner for reflection, mindfulness, and quiet moments.
Groups & Activities
We host a wide range of regular meet-ups, workshops, and community events, including:
- Weekly Gardening Groups –
• Wednesdays: 11 am – 1 pm
• Thursdays: 11 am – 1 pm - Men’s Social Group – every Monday morning until 1 pm.
- Parent & Toddler Group and Plant & Play – for parents of children with additional needs and autism.
- School Groups – working with local schools to teach children about growing, biodiversity, and healthy eating.
- Work Experience Placements – supporting horticultural training and skills development.
- Wellness Initiatives – including seasonal yoga sessions, mindfulness activities, and nature connection workshops.
- Food based workshops: Sauce making, preserving, cooking demos and community food events
- Art Projects – creative workshops that combine gardening, nature, and community expression.
Food poverty is recognised as the inability to access or afford an adequate quality or sufficient quantity of food in a socially acceptable way, or the uncertainty of being able to do so (Dowler & Turner, 2012).
At The Glen Community Garden, we address this by providing fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables for our community, while also offering a welcoming space where people can connect, learn, and share skills. Over the past decade, we have grown into a vibrant, award-winning garden with over 60 regular members and a proud record of collaboration with schools, community groups, and local initiatives.
Community Gardening at The Foyer - Blackpool
Green Spine initiative 2022
GrooveeGroves@ 
Sun Valley Park – Tús na Choille bhaile bheag
During March 2021 in the midt of Covid 19 over 500 native Irish trees were planted as part of the Gurranabraher and Churchfield Green Spine Initiative. A Micro -urban-woodland of mixed native trees is now growing on a quarter acre south facing bank across from the grotto at Sun Valley Park. The trees were sourced by local group “Treesplease” whose nursery is based in the Churchfield allotments. The planting is a high *Biodiversity Impact Action* that will enhance biodiversity abundance in the area. The close planting of a micro-urban-woodland enables high carbon capture from the atmosphere. Native varieties include birch, alder, hazel, Scots Pine, oak, hawthorn, willow and rowan. We will have another event in May to welcome the trees with the local youth and community groups and workshops learning to support the trees as they grow. 28 apple trees were also planted with Scoil Padre Pio, St Mary’s Primary Care Campus (orthopaedic), B45 and in Sun Valley park. Another Groovee Grove is being established on the rooftop of The Hut to mark National Tree Week and an Oak Ogham Circle in the Quod of St Marys Campus with HSE staff. The initiative is a cooperation lead by Health Action Zone and Youth Work Ireland Cork at The Hut supported by Cork City Council.
The Green Spine initiative continues with local groups in April with more Biodiversity Impact Actions “Sun Valley Park Wildflowers” – Contact HAZ worker Micheál on 087-3479549 or Joe(Youth Worker) at the Hut 0868274863
“Chíonn beirt rud nach bhfeiceann duine amhain”
“2 young people from the Bike Group based in The Hut – Gurranabraher, who are members of Youth Work Ireland Cork, participating in some Spring activities as part of a new local ‘Green Spine’ initiative in Gurranabraher & Churchfield. Organised by local HAZ Community Health Worker Micheál O’ Connor, young people, who were accompanied by Youth Worker Joe Curtin, planted 15 trees on the grass bank area along Sun valley Drive. The Green Spine Project is a local open group of Community Members, Residents & Organisations. The groups aim is to improve Biodiversity Impact Actions and imaginative community arts and local area enhancement. Groups participate to explore ways to reimagine, reinvent & take care of our local public spaces. Over 500 native trees were plante
Community Fruit
During the Spring 2021 we planted many fruit trees across the community — with the hope of bearing fruit for sharing in our communities years to come!!
Projects included : The Glen Community Garden, B4Five, Scoil Padre Pio, The Hut, and St Mary’s Primary Care Campus
Leave No Trace Certified Awareness Training
This course aimed at creating a common format for growing awareness in the long term across our communities for litter prevention – From discussions with many groups the intention is to focus on Slí na Sláinte routes and community areas on the Northside of the city – the focus is to enable community organisers, agency and education staff opportunity to network and look at ways of addressing our wider littering problems through developing community awareness, and a common language – using Leave no Trace Principles adapted for city.
See further info on Leave no Trace Principles https://www.leavenotraceireland.org/
Health Action Zone Projects
Old Library Building,
Community Work Dept.
St Marys Road, Cork.
Fidelma O’Connell 087 1800210
Barry Hickey 087 165 9084
Ailish McDonald 087 097 9707
Fiona Keane 087 1659084
Mallow Community Health Project
Le Chéile Family Resource Centre, Mallow, Co. Cork.
Leah Murphy
087 4335047
Fermoy Community Health Project
Fermoy Resource Centre,
42 McCurtain Street.
Jacinta McCormack
085 8742320
Youghal Community Health Project
Blackwater Heights, Youghal, Co. Cork.
Niamh Herbert 087 641 3468
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