On the grey morning of Saturday 11th of October, Portsmouth people gathered at the Marine Court Gardens in Southsea to help nature to thrive, flourish and again become a feature of the city. Emil Hallqvist reports.
The end is nigh. Soon, the primordial spirits will uproot our trees, flood our streets and thrust us into our self-made, apocalyptic heap of rubbish. It’s tempting to give in to despair and embrace the looming ecological crisis.
There lies the issue: for many the climate emergency feels distant, divorced from our present. But we are already witnessing the dire consequences of Planet Earth’s fever here in the United Kingdom. Here in Portsmouth.
Rising temperatures in the UK and around the world have disrupted food production, facilitating the steep increase in food prices.
This year’s spring and summer might have been enjoyable for the sunbathers among us, but it also resulted in the second worst year for harvest yields in recorded history. Ultimately, this pushed up prices, which did little to alleviate the already-dire cost of living crisis.
Again, it is easy to give in to despair.
Again, it is easy to lose hope.
Thankfully, morsels of ‘green hope’ exist right here, in our community. Right here in Portsmouth.
The Wilder Eastney event, co-hosted by Portsmouth Climate Action (PCA) and Portsmouth City Council (PCC), aimed to encourage residents to participate in rewilding green, urban spaces in their local neighbourhoods.
Materials and instructions were provided by the organisers, so the eager volunteers only needed to show up, ready to get their glove-covered hands dirty. Together, they put up protective barriers around fruit saplings, removed litter, and hoed off weeds from raised beds.
‘This activity shows how easy it is for the community to come together, and it doesn’t require much experience,’ said climate activist Kerry Thackaberry. ‘It is very wholesome in that sense.’ Mrs Thackaberry is also involved in Turning Tides Portsmouth, a climate emergency centre built by the community, for the community, that seeks solutions to the climate crisis. At this event, she was one of many volunteers, there to help with whatever she could.
The project began in early 2021 after the Portsmouth Climate Action Board put up an advert in Portsmouth City Council’s Flagship magazine. They invited residents to come together to ‘transform an unloved piece of land’ to protect wildlife, reduce flooding and improve people’s wellbeing.
It took six months to gain permission from the Council, but eventually they were given the lot at Marine Court Gardens in Southsea. ‘It is still land owned by the Council,’ Nicholas Sebley, a core member of the PCA, explained. ‘All work was and is, therefore, done with the Council’s permission.’
In September 2021, PCA organised the first official community gardening event. 30 to 40 people planted bluebells and snowdrops under the trees, and built two raised beds and filled them with soil, herbs, and other sensory plants.
‘Word had spread, and something had happened,’ said Pamela Ringland, a retired occupational therapist who was looking for ways to engage with her community. ‘Suddenly, the initiative gained traction.’
Additional help came from several bodies and groups. The ward councillors gave their blessing and £850 in CIL money; Forgotten Veterans UK built the raised beds; B&Q and TJ Waste provided the soil and tools; Waterfront Garden Centre and Southsea Greenhouse donated plants and cuttings; Wilko and Morrisons donated compost and seeds; Sustrans delivered workshops; and Hampshire and IoW Wildlife Trust brought knowledge and practical knowhow.
The initiative has, however, met opposition from residents living nearby, who have sent complaints and abusive emails. Trees the PCA have planted have also been vandalised. Regardless, both Mr Sebley and Ms Ringland felt upset that this project, meant to increase the wellbeing of people, was met with negativity. This has not, however, deterred them, and they keep encouraging people to participate.
Their initative is a simple yet significant way to make Portsmouth a greener, more pleasant city for its residents.
‘Even just one small gesture like this is a victory,’ Mathilde Chauvin, an employee of the Wildlife Trust and ‘community super champion’ of Project Wilder. She is happy when bees and butterflies return, and when flowers paint the garden with their colourful palette.
‘I am kind of a superhero,’ Chauvin said, smiling. ‘People may not know exactly how to proceed, so that is why Project Wilder exists.’ It gives local communities knowledge on how to reintroduce green spaces in the city and welcomes wildlife back into the urban environment.
At the event spirits were high and positive among all participants, from young children to pensioners. Everyone was there to help, and to reconnect with nature in a city with little space for it.
Despite despair, despite concern for the future of our planet, despite fears for humanity’s future on Earth, projects like Wilder Eastney serve as a reminder that there is still hope that people can come together, regardless of who they are, and work together for their community.
Climate change often feels insurmountable, and climate anxiety is not uncommon. But through small initiatives like this, the community can combat climate anxiety through climate action. Everyone does not have to do everything, but anyone can do something.
Even that tiny morsel makes a difference.
And in that, there is hope.
Photos by Emil Hallqvist.
