Greener Gainsborough CIO

Welcome to the beginnings of Greener Gainsborough...

My name is John Lyden and I am the CEO of Greener Gainsborough.

Whilst recovering from a hip operation in January 2023 I started reading a book called 'The Well Gardened Mind' by Sue Stuart-Smith. This book inspired me to get out and do something useful in the town of Gainsborough, where I live.

My interests include wildlife conservation, community gardening and men's mental health, particularly the UK Men's Shed Association.

Early February 2023, I reached out to various groups active in the town via their Facebook pages. It soon became obvious that they all suffered from the same limitations. A small group of dedicated volunteers held back by lack of funds, insufficient support and poor social media skills to publicise their mission.

The idea of an umbrella group that would help address these shortcomings and provide support for the individual groups was forming in my mind, with the working title 'Greener Gainsborough', and so I set about meeting as many people in Gainsborough as would listen to me.

It was a busy Spring/Summer 2023, with community allotments, school gardens and the Men's Shed thrown into the mix, as they form key parts of an integrated community network.

Finding Trustees and getting Greener Gainsborough registered as a Charity was accomplished in October 2023.

Watch this space for what's happening in 2024!