The PNK Garden

Get involved in bringing life to Lower Road! 

We wanted to introduce you to the PNK Garden – a new community garden dreamt up and created by local residents, just off Lower Road in SE16. 

We caught up with Lara, one of the founders of the non-profit PNK Garden. Lara is a design researcher at a local university, and, in her spare time, she chairs the Lower Road Community Association. 

Lara moved to Melville Court in 2020 and, with her neighbours, she saw an opportunity to create a community garden on the disused land adjacent to their block of flats on Lower Road. 

Seeing the potential of the land, she asked the landowner if it was possible to create a community garden. Permission was given as long as they named the gardens after the owners. The official name is The PNK Garden (pronounced pink or punk) in their honour.  

Fundraising started in March – which we are proud to have helped fund and promote – and by June they had reached their target.  
 
The vision is to make this new green space accessible to everyone in the community. The garden will be wheelchair and pushchair-friendly with wide corridors, raised beds of different heights and plenty of space for kids to play and help.  
 
As with any local project, the biggest challenge is having a regular source of income to keep going. Lara told us, “We rely on the generosity of our community and local businesses to support the garden. We are very grateful to British Land’s contractor, Mace, who donated our shed and helped with our funding.”  

The team is working with Southwark Council to explore funding opportunities. The next thing they want to build is a new fence and new planters for the veggies. 
 
Lara is always on the hunt for donations. If anyone has soil, pots, spare plants, other donations, or wants to volunteer, contact her via @pnkgarden or email [email protected]  
 
You can also make any donations via pnkgarden.com