As a gardening centre, we deal with communities within the umbrella of gardeners. In celebration of International Women’s Day [IWD], we want to take a look at some women gardeners and those who support women in a horticultural environment. We believe these women are breaking the bias against women of all different backgrounds. 

#BreakTheBias As part of International Women’s Day

“Break The Bias” is the main hashtag for this year’s International Women’s Day campaign and we want to be part of this movement. A movement putting to the forefront the idea of making things fairer for women of diverse backgrounds. IWD is encouraging us to acknowledge the value in these backgrounds. We each bring different perspectives and opinions, gained from experiences which are personal to us. 

A person’s bias can be positive or negative, and can be based on different factors: age, race, religion, gender and more. In every country there are small and large differences in the way women are treated. Sometimes unfair decisions are made, or judgements deem women suitable or unsuitable based on these biases. 

The Voices Of Women 

In this blog series, we want to give voices to women of varying backgrounds and those who support them. Gardening is for everyone to enjoy.  In creating these blogs we hope you’ll see that it makes us connected and fosters understanding. 

Things might be different, less volatile and there might be less sadness, if we were to understand each other more. Miscommunications and mistakes can easily spring from a lack of understanding. 

A Natural Connection

We’re connected to each other and the natural world itself. The benefits of this connection physically and mentally are voiced and felt by many. We spoke to women involved in organised community gardens to find out their stories. These experiences are the new shoots that have grown from them. 

Each of the organisations below will have dedicated blogs on the following dates:

• On the 8th March: British Islamic Gardens which works to develop green spaces within the community. Creating or working on current community gardens for organisations and encouraging people to be active members of the community through these activities
• On the 15th March: Integrated Research and Development Centre (IRDC) which has a woven interest in horticulture. They offer education and social inclusion in the natural environment to people of varying backgrounds
• On the 22nd March: Calthorpe Community garden which has the aim of improving the physical and emotional wellbeing of the community in and around Camden through gardening in their outside space.

Giving the women from these community groups a voice has been an insightful, warm and compassionate experience. These blogs will be an exploration of the more hidden and marginalised in our society. We hope this helps to #breakthebias.