Vandal fire destroys community garden project in Bristol

Arsonists have destroyed a shelter and potting sheds at a community garden project in east Bristol. Fire crews were called to the allotments in Speedwell just after midnight on Tuesday night after vandals had broken in and torched the buildings used by the New Roots Garden, a large collective gardening space used by community groups.

A fundraiser has now been set up to help restore the space to its former glory, and members of the organising group at New Roots said they were ‘deeply saddened’ at the damage.

The shelter was built back in 2015 by a collaboration between asylum seekers and volunteers, with support from the University of the West of England and the Architecture Centre. It was the focal point for the New Roots Garden, which is a large collective space in the Speedwell allotments area.

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It was originally set up as a space to support asylum seekers and refugees but it’s since grown to host many groups, from a choir to a men’s circle and family groups.

The garden itself is a place where an eclectic mix of people and community groups grow fruit and vegetables, alongside bee hives. But just after midnight into the early hours of Wednesday morning, November 27, people living nearby spotted flames and called the fire brigade. They arrived to put the blaze and stop it spreading, but the New Roots centre was destroyed, and all the tools inside were lost.

The New Roots community garden in Speedwell -Credit:New Roots
The New Roots community garden in Speedwell -Credit:New Roots

“We are deeply saddened that people would do such damage to this well-loved community space,” said Harriet Sansom, from the New Roots organising group. “In the face of this violence, we are choosing hope and to rebuild together,” she added.

The group have now launched an online fundraiser appealing for donations to pay for the rebuilding of the shelter and the potting shed, and replace the destroyed tools. For more information on the fundraiser, click here.