Volunteer and visit us
NOTE: Our Open Garden and volunteer gardening will be taking a break during December and January, resuming on Tuesday 4 February.
Come to our Open Garden, or volunteer with us, 10am – 4pm, every Tuesday, and on the third Saturday every month. Walk in our woodland and enjoy tea and biscuits in the garden. Families welcome. Just drop in.
Tuesday 4 February – Open Garden and Volunteer Gardening – 10am – 4pm
Tuesday 11 February – Open Garden and Volunteer Gardening – 10am – 4pm
Saturday 15 February – Open Garden and Volunteer Gardening – 10am – 4pm
Tuesday 18 February – Open Garden and Volunteer Gardening – 10am – 4pm
The garden house is available to book for parties and meetings
New memberships are available for the year ending 31st August 2025
A two-acre oasis of greenery in Islington, north London.
Over time, a herbaceous garden, an orchard, a pond, a series of vegetable terraces, a small meadow and an acre of woodland have all emerged from a railway embankment.
Under an agreement with Islington Council which owns the land, the volunteer-run Charity – Olden Community Garden – maintains the garden area, with the object to promote a community garden for the benefit of people living or working in the London Borough of Islington. Olden Garden gives local people opportunities for education and recreation, with the aim of increasing involvement in the community and reducing isolation.
A self-sustaining garden
We use harvested water, we compost all the green waste and create wildlife habitats from woody debris. There is a fruitful orchard and a flourishing vegetable garden.
Latest Posts
Our Grant from Islington Council’s Community Chest
We are very pleased to have been awarded a grant of £5,000 towards Olden Community Garden core activities. This grant will help pay the fees of our part-time professional gardeners who lead our volunteers and advise our trustees. Islington Council’s Community Chest is funded by Islington Council, in partnership with Cripplegate Foundation.
Repairing our Vegetable Beds
Thank you to the BIG Alliance for arranging a gardening day for a team of 10 volunteers from MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group). With their enthusiasm we made good progress with our Raised Vegetable Beds Repairs project funded by a National Garden Scheme Community Garden Grant.
Planting Flowers in the Shade project
Our volunteers have completed this project, with bulbs and plants funded by Islington Giving’s Make It Happen Fund. The flower bed is covered in autumn leaf fall waiting for spring when the bulbs will emerge. The adjacent path is re-surfaced with donated bark chippings. Thank you to Maria for leading this project, her final project for us.
New Rowan Trees
Volunteers from Acacia Avenue joined our gardening day to plant three Rowan trees. Thank you to Acacia Avenue for donating the trees.