I have been looking at the same empty field on the edge of our estate for fifteen years. The council owns it. Nothing grows there except nettles and old crisp packets. Every time I walk past it, I think: that could be something.
I'm a retired landscape gardener. I spent thirty years making other people's gardens beautiful. I know soils. I know microclimates. I know that the field at the end of Ashgrove Road has a slight south-facing slope that would be perfect for raised vegetable beds, and a natural drainage channel along the eastern edge that could feed a rain-harvesting system.
I have drawn up full plans — sixteen raised beds, a central composting system, a tool library shed, a small polytunnel for year-round growing, and a seating area where people can actually sit together. I have spoken to the council three times. They are sympathetic. What they need is someone younger who can attend the meetings, fill in the grant applications, and physically lead the planting days.
My knees don't allow me to kneel in the soil anymore. But I can sit at a table, answer every question you have, and tell you exactly which variety of potato grows best in Atlantic Irish clay. I have fifteen years of plans. I just need someone to carry them the last mile.
Every zone has been planned, scaled, and costed. The blueprints are complete and ready to present to the council.
Margaret has done all the thinking. She needs someone with energy, community spirit, and a willingness to show up.
Margaret spent thirty years designing and building gardens across Connacht. She knows every nursery owner within forty miles of Galway and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of what grows in Atlantic Irish soil. She is cheerful, direct, and has been told by more than one person that her stubbornness is "one of her best qualities." She will be your mentor, your researcher, and your greatest champion.
Tell Margaret about yourself. If you're near Galway, even better — but she's open to working with anyone willing to make the trip.
Margaret will receive your message and reply as soon as she can — usually within a few days. She's been waiting for this.