Glimpses of a Possible Future

We spoke with Sarah Thorne, founding Director of The Children’s Allotment in Cowley, East Oxford. The Children’s Allotment was initiated and conceived by Alice Hemming, who sadly was not able to join us for the conversation as she was recovering from COVID at the time. Alice developed the vision, convened a passionate group of local families and negotiated a 10-year lease from Oxford City Council to reclaim a derelict former nursery on the fringes of the East Ward Allotments. Over the last five years a dedicated group of volunteers have cleared, rebuilt and nurtured a space that is now home to a forest school, radical education project, Roots, a growing space and host to a range of seasonal community events and gatherings. Sarah shared the value of building projects with children involved at every step, acknowledging that it takes more time and can be more complex, but offers a new way of working and learning across generations, where kids can develop a sense of ownership and belonging through the process.

Co-founder, Andy Edwards and Communications Co-manager, Hannah Pye, explore Makespace's journey over its first five years. The conversation touches on what has been learned from the reopening of its first hub space at Aristotle Lane to adapting and expanding the model across Oxfordshire, bringing 30 buildings back into use. Hannah and Andy reflect on the core role the growing community of residents have played in reanimating the spaces and building cultures of mutual support and solidarity.