A very successful seminar on all aspects of community gardening, funded by the Donegal PEACE III Partnership, and organised by the HSE in conjunction with Groundwork N.I., was held on 21st March in the Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. 
Over 70 attendees gathered to hear presentations on a range of topics, such as composting, cooking, men’s sheds, social farming and growing your own.
The event was opened by Cllr. Dessie Larkin, Chair of the Donegal Peace Partnership and the Donegal County Development Board.
Cllr. Larkin welcomed all attendees and gave an overview of the benefits of community gardens in terms of safe food, well-being and peace building.
The keynote speaker, Sr. Majella Mc Carron, talked about how we need to care for the earth’s skin on which we all live and drew a link between caring for the environment, well-being, health, justice and peace.
This link was further developed in the workshop on eco-health which explored the effect that nature has on our own health and well-being.
Participants could choose between seven workshops and had the opportunity to attend two during the morning. 
One workshop which was particularly well attended was ‘Setting up and Sustaining a Community Garden’ facilitated by Hans Wieland of Organic Centre in Leitrim who has overseen the development of over 20 community gardens in the North West.
Projects displaying their programmes at stands included a model community garden in Strabane developed by Cairde, the North West Garden Show and the MEET project based in Glencar, Letterkenny.
Maire O’Leary, Social Inclusion Manager with the HSE, commented;
“Community gardens have multiple benefits – as well as being vehicles for peace building, social inclusion and community development, they also improve physical and mental health; produce healthy food and contribute to caring for the environment.”
When asked if community gardens is a good way of meeting and befriending people outside our own family and community, the overwhelming majority of attendees positively affirmed this.
One attendee summed up the day as follows;
“I found the event thoroughly useful and insightful. It was a fantastic opportunity to network with other areas and provided for great shared learning and relationship building.”