On Sunday 30 May, Broadview and Collinswood Neighbourhood Watch group hosted a community pruning day, in partnership with Prospect Local Environment Group (PLEG) at Broadview Community Garden.

To celebrate World Environment Day, which takes place today, local residents were invited, along with their secateurs and shears, to roll up their sleeves and dig in, giving the garden a good pre-winter cut-back.

Previously, three volunteers were maintaining the space but it became too difficult to manage so Broadview and Collinswood Neighbourhood Watch group, along with PLEG, stepped in to help.

In the beautiful autumn sun, local community members turned out in force with over 30 people coming and going in the two-hour window. Once the pruning, cutting and digging was done the residents were treated to a BBQ lunch, giving them all a chance to catch up.

Neighbourhood Watch groups regularly get involved in local initiatives and programs, with some groups being very active in maintaining and supporting their local green spaces, Broadview and Collinswood NHW group are one of those groups.

Josie Meyer, Area Coordinator explained: "It was really obvious last year, with COVID-19 concerns and restrictions, how important it was to actually get out into places like this. It’s so important for your mental wellness, to get out and enjoy the peacefulness of plants, flowers, trees, listen to birds. We need to make sure our local green spaces are maintained to give local residents a place to enjoy.

"It’s part of what the whole Neighbourhood Watch ethos is all about, it’s about looking after your neighbours and your local environment. Bringing people out into the community that may usually feel quite isolated and getting them involved with something active, something that provides purpose. It doesn’t always have to be a formal meeting; it can be a catch up over a BBQ or coffee".

Grace Fitzpatrick, Chairperson of PLEG, a local community group who have partnered with the Broadview and Collinswood group to help ensure these spaces are looked after, said: "It’s amazing to see lots of people and also every generation here. With Prospect, because we are a suburb with probably the smallest green space out of any inner-metro suburb in the whole of South Australia this is just so important that we have more of these spaces for our community".

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