Exciting News about our Community Garden

Exercise, Health and Nutrition / Know Your Neighbourhood Project / Benfieldside Community Garden / October 13th, 2023

Exciting News about our Community Garden

Building Self-Belief are delighted to be a new member of the the Social Farms and Gardens. We are in the final stages of securing our 25 year lease in Benfieldside Community Garden. Once this has been confirmed, we are ready to get going on what will be a fabulous transformation.

We Need Your Help

As a project we will need as much support as possible from the community.  As a community garden we want to create a fabulous space that people of all ages can contribute to and enjoy. There will be planters for growing food, and wildflower areas, some mature trees are already there. What we want to d is involve the community on how we redesign the space.

What underpins our purpose is that it is well known that gardening is so good for our physical and our mental health. In our area, many people only have back yards, therefore to have access to a garden is a brilliant new addition to their lives.

Here are some of the benefits to being involved in community gardening:

  • Outdoor gardening can help your body fight disease
  • Regular gardening builds strength, promotes sleep and helps maintain a healthy body weight
  • Gardening can help protect your memory as you get older
  • Gardening is a mood booster
  • Gardening calms you after a stressful event
  • Community gardens foster a feelings of connectivity
  • Gardening can five you a feeling of empowerment


We are open to suggestions about how the space is used, we are also happy for people to give up as much time as they can afford to help us get this project off the ground. If you would like to volunteer in the garden for us, please get in touch.

Volunteer for us

Youth Social Action / May 21st, 2024

Consett Area Youth Consultation

Tell us how you would like the Consett Area to look by 2036. What can we all do to improve on what we already have? What ideas do you have to ensure the continued and positive growth of the Consett Area?

Consett Heritage Project / August 10th, 2023

Rob Moran - Consett Heritage Podcast

Rob is Consett born and bred and has been active in the community in many fields over the years, including volunteering with the Consett Green Spaces Campaign and with the local Labour Party. He is involved with the group History of Consett Steelworks where his particular interest is researching its history. He also helps out at our local schools by taking the children on history tours of the ex-steelworks site. He also shares his love of the wider history of the North East, on his own fabulous Facebook group called Alfred's Guide.

Consett Heritage Project / June 27th, 2024

Stephen Robinson - Consett Heritage Podcast

Stephen Robinson, who works and lives in Consett and is an independent councillor at Durham County Council, sits down to talk about his current links to Consett, the impact the steelworks had on him, and advice he has for young people.