Lesnes Abbey Woods

I worked with the London Borough of Bexley to deliver a community engagement programme as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund ‘Masterplan Design Programme’ for much-loved London park Lesnes Abbey Woods. I worked directly with the public, leading on the community consultation and research to plan, run and evaluate this programme, including Discovery Days, Ideas and Inspiration workshops and a final Sharing Showcase, all requiring awareness and understanding of the issues that affect residents, including real or perceived barriers to participation. Part of the restoration work at Lesnes Abbey Woods was the planning for the recreation of the original thirteenth century Monk’s Garden. The Monks at Lesnes had one of the area’s only infirmaries, where they would have grown a selection of herbs to ward off diseases and heal injuries.

All this work enabled communities to develop the skills and knowledge to explore their local heritage, generate ideas, be inspired by and inspire the landscape architects Mei Loci as they designed and delivered a variety of onsite improvements from gateways to outdoor classrooms to Fossil Bed features. The Discovery Days involved 200+ participants in arts-led onsite outdoor activities including poetry, natural clay modelling, mono printing and skyline sketching. The Sharing Showcase was the final part of this programme – an informal drop in twilight event to share and show the final designs from landscape architects Mei Loci and see how they have directly been inspired, informed and influenced by community ideas.