Friends of Hollybush (FOHB)
Conservation and gardening in the heart of Kirkstall
Wednesdays 1-4.30pm
Learn new skills! Make new friends!
Becoming a Friend of Hollybush
As a Friend of Hollybush you will have the opportunity to:
- Enjoy and help care for the Hollybush Gardens and its resident wildlife
- Share, develop and learn conservation and gardening skills
- Access training to develop your practical or leadership skills
- Keep in touch and up to date with what’s happening at Hollybush with regular newsletters and emails
- Enjoy some great socials and get involved at open events
Some Friends choose to volunteer with us regularly, some support us by helping with publicity or running open events, others help with fundraising or undertake leadership training to become task leaders. Some Friends support us by helping to make sure our socials go with a swing! Whatever your level of commitment, there’s a place in Friends of Hollybush for you!
If you’d like to get actively involved there are some specific ways in which you can help.
Discover the Hollybush Gardens...
A haven in the heart of Kirkstall, where newts and frogs breed, snakeshead fritillaries and cowslips nod in spring, bees and butterflies are busy all summer, and a green spotted woodpecker stops by in the winter.
Hollybush is a special place. The listed 17th century barn and main building conceals the almost secret gardens. As well as the award winning wildlife garden which runs close by the Leeds Liverpool canal, there are vegetable plots, herbaceous borders and a herb garden filled with many medieval herbs. The fruit garden includes some of the original rhubarb that grew here over 200 years ago when Hollybush was a rhubarb farm.
Friends of Hollybush aim to make it possible for more people to access and enjoy this space by opening the gardens to the public at regular events and enabling people to become involved with helping to care for the gardens by organising regular tasks.
Wednesday afternoon tasks take place each week from 1 - 4.30pm and the Sunday garden club runs on the first Sunday of each month. Its fun, friendly and informal! Drop in or contact FOHB for more details. Help care for the Hollybush Gardens!
Friends of Hollybush history
FOHB formed in November 2004 as a social focus for volunteers and supporters of Hollybush and as a way of helping former volunteers and other friends of the centre to remain informed and involved.
In the beginning this meant organising socials - lots of fun for everyone and a great way of celebrating everyone's commitment and hard work! Thanks to a capable and enthusiastic committee the precedent was soon set and institutions like the "John Taplin Pool Tournament" are now firmly established in Hollybush culture.
In November 2005 it was decided that Friends of Hollybush would take up the challenge of helping to maintain the gardens and grounds at Hollybush, including the award winning wildlife garden. Then chairperson, David Broughton, led the first FOHB Wednesday afternoon task - dry stone walling in the wildlife garden.
By January 2006, FOHB had increased the Wednesday afternoon tasks from fortnightly to weekly. Then came the first Friends of Hollybush sponsored walk, which raised almost £500 for a planned youth project at the centre.
Thanks to the help and support of FOHB members and volunteers, the successes of February’s Bird Fun Day and April’s garden party are still resounding. FOHB have a busy programme for the next few months.
