My name is moira bori and I have been a volunteer at the Elder Farm Community Project initially named LEGUP since 2010.

In olden days, there were three container keys, held by Ian Sharp, Scott Martin and Dougie (security) Other members were given a gate key and a key to a storage box which would hold biscuits and shovels etc. Over time, being the sole member able to turn up for early morning deliveries, I was lent Scott's keys which I would return. After about a year or so, Scott told me to keep the key.

In 2012 group founder Ian Sharp asked me to take over this charming urban gardening project, because while every one and his cat wanted to talk / dictate on garden issues, no one actually wanted to work in the garden every week

Other garden groups pay for constant boots on the ground from grants, but we continue to have no funds or funding for this. My interests are with organic solutions preserving bees and I am interested to see if permacultural solutions might reduce need and spending on chemicals and if this might provide a further income for income for agricultural industries / and communities, but chiefly lie with getting the building fixed and reducing any danger to local youth.

Over the years it has been made clear that this has been a space the local youth has used to smoke and drink and play. We constantly pick up rubbish and have found knives and torn handbags, etc. We have often found youths on the roof. Apparently it is a passage of rite for Linthouse and Elderpark youth to climb onto the roof and sit on a chimney stack to gaze out on the park, so we showed as many as we could the difference between rotting wood and good wood, explaining that roof supports perhaps stable a few years ago are now rotting, and we built other platforms for them to gaze out on the park, until some vandal burned them down

Over the years working on this organic project with help from police and BAE Systems, we have dealt with vandalism, fires, broken chains, new chains, new locks, new keys for old and new members wanting to garden who then don't come back, missing tools, and demands we exterminate all the mice / remove all the compost/tyres etc to Shieldhall – it has been interesting

Last summer, I was lucky to get paid work for several weeks, working long night shifts, during which time, despite my having handed out over 20 sets of keys, it seemed that no one had come down to open up, allow the community access to pick strawberries and veg, or even to water / weed plants. The strawberries, beans and peas which need to be picked were spent early. Thanks to our permaculture experiment, much was saved and we gave a lot of quality plants and food away to helpers, visitors and community dinners including the Preschall

Because we have no funding, I personally paid for a lock that can be duplicated, giving keys to workers, both fire brigade and police, and other community members, so that folk can come in whenever they choose, to ensure there is no mischief.

This increased and constant presence seems to have stopped vandals believing they have space and time to do as they please, allaying further fires / damage to the property. We have also created bug hotels / bird larders at spaces where folk come in over the wall, adding prickly clipping to the tops

Having finally negotiated with some workers who seem determined to stay part of the project and are willing to meet with Land and Environmental Services – the currant caretakers of Isabel Elder's Gift to the People of Govan, for their recreation and entertainment, to discuss tenancy agreements etc , once rota and wage patterns would allow us to contemplate gardening hours and payments for public liability, availability to commit to various projects in the pipeline. Suddenly Bob Hamilton and Ian Sharp were demanding access and occupation of the site as their own, leading a company entitled Common Good Awareness Project. Ironic since Bob Hamilton had so successfully derailed any attempts to meet with LES or Friends of Elderpark to discuss anything. It is unsure exactly where Ian Sharp's interests lay, sometimes with one sometimes with another, it has been said there are more than one Ian Sharps in the story

Ian Sharp as anyone knows was key in creating the LEGUP garden, he worked with the Payback Team to clear up the grounds and create a planter garden. Bob Hamilton hung around the Pearce Institute and talked a lot about Common Good Issues, so we made him chair of Common Good Glasgow, after LEGUP was disbanded. However he failed to take any interest in discussing common good issues with the community or the www, especially when it came to the Elder Farm site, simply sending out dictums and expecting all to fall in line with no opportunity to discuss unless you came to one of his meetings bu of course many community members with best will in the world are not able, do not have time to come to a meeting set up in the Pearce or any other place, even the internet. It seems that people care but people want someone else to get the job done, which presumably is why councils were created in the first place, to deliver

So Bob Hamilton asked for a key to the padlock. Unable to give him my copy, I directed him to other community members – Galgael had a key as do the police and even neighbours living across the road from the garden. Instead apparently Bob decided he was entitled as a member of Govan Community living in Partick, to cut the chain and install his own combination lock.

Ian Sharp texted asking for a key to the container a week later. Apparently the group were having a workshop down at the garden the following Saturday. I asked what he wanted the key for since we have changed use of containers and most of the garden stuff was in another container. I have paid out for loads of padlock keys more padlocks and keys, stuff has gone missing. Ian was offered a key when locks were finally changed – he still has some property in the red shed, but apparently has lost interest in the garden and refused the key.

I assured Bob Hamilton that keyholders would be present on Saturday, but was unwilling to hand over keys since quite valuable equipment on loan to workers is in those sheds and apparently quite rightly because during the weekends when the shed was open and the Common Good Awareness Project came down a £200 set of hedgecutters went missing

The update is this. The group came down to meet members of Elder Farm Community Garden, who engaged with them to some degree. It seems however that Mr Hamilton was unable to communicate successfully with persons present. He was rude, pointed a lot and invaded personal space with finger pointed in faces etc.. During 3 workshops held in succession on a Saturday, the group moved resources, creating more work for garden workers in putting them safely elsewhere, and apparently came in again to leave hazards across paths etc then called in a safety check. LES checked the site, found dangerous trip hazards, declared the site unsafe and dangerous and welded the gates shut. They removed the Elder Farm Group padlock and left the Common Good Awareness padlock, making it quite clear I think where their affiliations lie. Meanwhile the Elder Farm group have been given 12 hours today and tomorrow o remove property after which the garden will be rewelded up closed until LES are satisfied all is well, possibly after some of the garden is sliced off to make way for the new fast road

I have worked on this project for free, have taken little advantage except for good will and spirit, without which there is not much point to life in general. We shall see what Lady Elder's spirit makes of it all

Yours sincerely

Moira Bori - Volunteer Elder Farm Community Garden

Welcome to Elder Farm Community Website

Formerly known as LEGUP Glasgow, the Elder Farm Community is based in the grounds of the remaining Fairfield Farm Steading at Linthouse.  We are always looking for volunteers and supporters.  For more information please contact us at elderfarm.govan@gmail.com

Meanwhile :

 we have run out of space so have divided the site into 3 :

LEGUP - Linthouse Elderpark Govan Urban Planters 2010 - Jan 2013

Elder Farm Feb 2013 - Dec 2013

Elder Farm Jan 2014 and onwards

With all this global warming don't you just sometimes wish you could be part of something which will help bring about the kind of changes we would like to see in the future?  

Currently many Govan Community members can't even recycle the cans and plastic bottles they use daily.  No wonder the young team get frustrated

There are communities virtually alienated from the very ground they walk on as colleges and the media teach youngsters to fight germs, dirt and faulty tools. Urban projects can help city community members from this ground level experience, discover abilities they were previously unaware of

Fairfield Steading sits in the middle of Elder Farm Community Garden, a derelict B-Listed building on the North East Corner of Elderpark down by the Linthouse Roundabout, with huge potential. A survey was sent out through local schools asking the community for an opinion on what should be done with the building. We had over 1000 repliesf

The project needs volunteers to help deliver a sustainable solution that ties in with the Conditions of the Deed of Gift

We need folk with either / or :

• Enthusiasm
• Brilliant ideas
• Different skills from web to art to project managing and getting things done
• Support
• Activity
• Sense of Fun
• Common sense
• Ability to commit a couple of days per month

• Ability to commit a couple of evenings to mumble meetings and / or local meetings
• Tolerance

What you get out of it

• Experience
• Fun
• CV reference
• Sense of achievement

What we all get out of  it

• Centre for Eco Permacultural Global Exchange providing eco assistance to work with local eco groups
• Chance to bring Permacultural ideas to attention of corporate groups for their consideration and adaptation

Help is required in the garden and help is required to save this building project from a crazy state of "still not a lot of action"

Please text Help to 07708760225 for more information or email elderfarm.govan@gmail.com

This Elder Farm Project desperately needs steadfast volunteers to help raise funds and ensure delivery of this eco community project

What will be required / helpful :

• Enthusiasm
• Brilliant ideas
• Different skills from web to art to project managing and getting things done
• Support
• Activity
• Fun
• Common sense
• Reliability / Ability to commit a couple of days per month

• Reliability / Ability to commit a couple of evenings to mumble meetings and / or local meetings
• Tolerance

What you get out of it

• Experience
• Fun
• CV reference
• Sense of achievement

What we all get out of  it

• Center for Eco Permacultural Global Exchange providing eco assistance to work with local eco groups
• Chance to bring Permacultural ideas to attention of corporate groups for their consideration and adaptation

Your help is required to save this great project from a crazy state of going nowhere fast / all talk and no action

Please text Help to 07708760225 for more information or email elderfarm.govan@gmail.com