Hillmead Community Food Forest

Food forests are 'somewhere between an allotment and an orchard' – a way for people to access organic and sustainably farmed food. Hillmead Forest Garden, in the heart of Shepton Mallet, is a small, previously neglected site abandoned by the developer of the housing estate built to house prison inmates' families when the prison was open. The Food Forest Project designed a small forest garden for the space, including artwork from local artists Flo Lapin and Rosy Stott, with two raised herb planters, a variety of fruit trees, currant and berry shrubs, and a wild meadow. The space is open to the public 24/7, has good access with a wheelchair ramp, and will provide much-needed produce for the local people in the years to come.