On going project

Hogacre Common Eco Park is home to Peers Projects: a project learning venture by Freelearners CIC for children who are not in mainstream education. Twice a week in term time up to 16 seven to fourteen year old children gather to enjoy democratically chosen projects and activities, to play and have fun together. Stewardship over the environment and the lovely site we have been trusted with is an intrinsic part of our ‘curriculum’ and many of the projects chosen by the children aim to develop the tennis court area into an eco-friendly outdoor learning space for the local community to enjoy. Our goals for this year are a building simple shelter, repairing the pizza oven and perhaps even starting work on a wildlife pond!Freelearners Community Interest Company was founded by four parents to provide services for Oxfordshire families whose children learn outside of mainstream education.

Hard tennis court pandemic project

Previously, briefly run as a safe space children’s garden, Hogacre’s hard tennis courts are ‘potential looking for a purpose’. There are now exciting plans being drawn up for the space.

Meanwhile, a number of small projects are happening there:

Hop-growing (‘name Hogacre’s lock-down beer’ competition to follow!)

  • Preparing the support canes
  • Enlarging the wild hop support system
  • Self-seeded wild hop
  • We’ve planted hop

Coloured-stem willow growing for basket weaving

Watering the willow – coloured stems for basket weaving

Hay-bale veg

To get the hay-bales ready for growing, we watered them daily and then watered them for two weeks with nitrogen-rich ‘tea’ made from nettles, picked on site.

Nettle picking and social distancing!
  • making nettle tea, for the nitrogen
  • watering the hay bales

Look what we’re growing!

  • beans
  • tomatoes thriving in hay bales – May
  • Potatoes flowering – June
  • Spinach – June