Community projects are powerful political statements

Building a garden to bring the fractured community of Bristol together is the purpose of the edible garden in the sunken roundabout knows as "The Bear Pit". An architectonic failure from the 19th century creating a vacuum right in the center of town attracting violence, drug use, and prostitution.

Road view of the Bear Pit

Sara Venn, founder of Incredible Edible Bristol, calmly explains what their project, their goals and their struggles are about while standing in the green space.

“Coming here to pick a strawberry
is possibly the biggest political movement you could make”

says Sara.

It’s a way to empower people to do something with their fiddling minds, to bond with new people and an opportunity to co-create a space to be in. Despite the desperate need for financial support, the project is run and funded by the community proving to be a much faster and reliable system than the sluggish wait for the City Council’s intervention.

There are 43 other edible garden spread across the city. Proving city urban landscapers that an eco-friendly, usable and environmentally thought garden can be built on a very small budget around the local infrastructure.

“We are here to start a new conversation […],
to show that this is possible”

says Sara with a warm smile.

Sara Venn - founder of Incredible Edible Bristol

She, as other community-oriented groups, have noticed the lack of integration between city planning with local community planning suggesting that

“we need a co-productive city planning
where everybody gets a say”

Currently, the lack of trust between communities and the Bristol City Council, a common problem expressed by many frustrated communities, harbors political discontent and apathy to the idea of the dinosaur institution changing.

The garden is always looking for volunteers. Today Hanna is helping to water the garden by carrying 4 watering cans in a wheelbarrow from the only water source in the bear pit, which sits on the opposite side of the garden by the bus.

To find out more visit https://www.ediblebristol.org.uk

As a creative storyteller, I encourage all to question whether they are living their constructed lives, or a life sold to them. I believe it is time for a new narrative to take place. One that is not controlled by a few towering corporations rather one that favors unity, collaboration and praises the liberal-minded inquisitive individual. A story all can be part of, as all will be contributing and creating their version of it. The concept is not alien to us, it’s tribal. First, we ought to understand the structural powers placed in our society.

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To be doing what one wants, first one needs to be spending time and energy earning exchangeable tokens (i.e. fiat & cryptocurrency). Once these tokens are earnt one becomes part of the economic system. Those who control the distribution of these tokens control the behavior and happiness of the individuals part of its system.

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Anything given to us is a sell and anything that we take is a buy.
Which story do you buy?

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