Community organisation seeks land in Stoke to create sustainable bamboo park
A North Staffordshire organisation which aims to explore the use of bamboo for the benefit of communities and the planet is looking for land where they can create a small park.
Brilliant Bamboo, which was set up in 2023 by Gemma Thomas, wants to find a brownfield site of up to one acre in Stoke town where they can plant a small bamboo park and community space.
Once planted with bamboo – in moveable planters – the aim is to use the ‘parklet’ to explore sustainability, creativity and the impact on the environment, including whether bamboo can improve air quality in an area which traditionally has had high levels of pollution.
Other plans for the prospective site include art, science, nature and physical activities for all ages, as well as developing environmentally positive projects that improve the land, remove carbon and support native biodiversity.
(Image by Jenny Harper: Gemma Thomas (R) plants bamboo as part of Imagine Bamboo’s Taking Root Project.)
Gemma said: “We have been working with the city council and other partners to try to identify underused spaces that could benefit from regeneration. We want to improve the land, not take away existing green spaces.
“We are actively searching for land, ideally ½ to one acre where we can stay for up to five years, and plant something we can create and imagine with.
“Bamboo is a fascinating material which grows rapidly and absorbs carbon faster than trees. It has the potential to transform land use in places like ours, where the landscape has historically been shaped by coal mining, clay extraction and farming.
“I’m interested in whether we can take that deep-rooted knowledge of the land and apply it to a more sustainable model.”
The parklet will be developed as part of the Stoke High Street Accelerator Green Space Project through Stoke-on-Trent City Council, with funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s cabinet member for infrastructure, regeneration and transport, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support Brilliant Bamboo with Green Space funding and are working closely with them to help identify a suitable site for their latest project.
“Throughout our Centenary year, we are encouraging people to celebrate Stoke-on-Trent and this project is a perfect example of how local communities are coming together and doing just that.”
Meanwhile, Brilliant Bamboo is working with artist Spencer Jenkins to co-create a new piece of bamboo sculpture and furniture in partnership with Middleport Matters.
A second artist, Francesca Wheeler, will be running two free bookable sessions in Harper Street, Middleport, for over 18s, where participants can create a bamboo instrument (Wednesday, February 26, 10am to 1pm) or make a bamboo dome and build dens (Wednesday, March 5, 10am to 1pm).
Brilliant Bamboo and Middleport Matters are also holding a bamboo block party at the sensory garden near Harper Street on Saturday, March 29, from 12pm to 3pm, to celebrate the works which will be created.
Gemma added: “Stoke-on-Trent has a history of innovation – think of Reginald Mitchell, the engineer behind the Spitfire. We are people of the elements, who have been taking clay and coal out of the ground for centuries – but this has left its mark, on both the environment and the community.
“Bamboo offers a forward-looking, regenerative approach. Managed correctly, it could be a powerful tool for environmental repair.”
Booking is essential for the workshops – call 01782 817590 or message via Middleport Matters Facebook page.
To suggest a suitable plot of land in Stoke for the parklet, which must have public access, please email Gemma on ge***@****************co.uk
