Our Goals

01

Assorted fresh vegetables on a wooden table outdoors, including eggplants, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, kale, green beans, yellow and red chili peppers, an apple, and a melon.

by growing fresh, affordable produce, and donating harvests to the community larder, so healthy food reaches those who need it most.

Strengthen Local Food Resilience

02

by offering volunteering,
skills workshops, and shared
meals that bring people together, reduce loneliness, and build confidence
across generations and backgrounds.

Foster Community Wellbeing

Group of people gathered around in a community garden listening to a man explaining how to grow plants.

03

through year-round gardening sessions, school programmes, and creative workshops that inspire learning, biodiversity, and a deeper relationship with the natural world.

Connect People with Nature

Children planting seeds in containers filled with soil on a large piece of fabric outdoors.

04

a year-round warm space in the heart of the park where people can meet, share, and feel a sense of belonging.

Provide a Welcoming Community Hub

People gathered in a greenhouse for a guided tour or presentation.

Cutteslowe Greenhouse began as a shared dream to revive a forgotten corner of Oxford’s largest public park. After serving the community as a popular garden centre for a number of years, the site was abruptly closed in 2022, prompting a group of local residents, former staff, and community leaders to come together with the bold vision of reviving the site as a vibrant community hub. Now, as a registered Charitable Community Benefit Society, we’re working to restore the historic greenhouses and reopen them by 2026—bringing new life to an old landmark, led by the community.

The Story So Far…

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People standing outside the Cuttleslowe Greenhouse on a sunny day, with a sign indicating the greenhouse's name and spring season. There are trees, a bicycle, and a wooden fence in the background.

Our Projects

Thanks to funding from the Nature Effect CIC, National Lottery, and Hubbub we have already been able to kickstart two community nature hubs in Cutteslowe Park as well as host nature walks, nature-based workshops, pop-up cafes, and other seasonal events throughout the year. Our motivated group of volunteers is ever-growing and propels the project forward, united by a shared commitment to collective well-being, local food resilience, and nature connection.

A lush vegetable garden with green plants, garden structures, and trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

Community Allotment (Plot #4)

Launched in January 2024 with the Cutteslowe Allotments Association and Cutteslowe Community Larder, Plot #4 hosts weekly school visits and volunteer sessions in horticulture and ecology. Under expert guidance, our volunteers grow a range of organic produce which is delivered straight to the nearby community larder, providing fresh fruit and vegetables year-round. Why not join our next session - they're every Wednesday, 12-2pm.

Find out more about how to get involved on our Volunteer page.

Close-up of young green apples growing on a tree with a blurred person in the background

Cutteslowe Community Orchard

Planted in 2022 with support from the National Lottery, our community orchard is home to a mix of fruit trees and bushes - apples, pears, plums, raspberries, blackcurrants, and more. It’s a shared space for people to learn about fruit growing, care for young trees, and enjoy the harvest together. Orchard volunteers meet on the third Sunday of every month (10am-12pm) on a drop-in basis to maintain the site by planting, watering and pruning trees, as well as other activities such as clearing pathways.

Find out more about how to get involved on our Volunteer page.

A group of diverse people walking on a dirt trail through a lush, green forest.
Two women in a garden, one wearing a wide-brimmed hat and black t-shirt, the other with short gray hair and a black tank top, surrounded by green plants, flowers, and gardening structures.
Vegetable garden with leafy greens and plants, some with labels, and a greenhouse in the background.
A child harvesting ripe cherry tomatoes from a garden with a person helping, placing the tomatoes in a clear plastic container.
Child holding a wooden frame with purple string and various plants and flowers intertwined within the frame.
People walking on a dirt trail surrounded by green bushes and trees.
Group of people standing and sitting in a garden or farm area, with a dog lying on the grass in front of them.
Outside view of a community craft center with a black chalkboard sign that says "Community Craft Center" and "Cash Only." There are wooden structures and gardening supplies visible inside and outside the center, along with a person wearing a wide-bri
A group of people walking in a garden or farm on a cloudy day.