Right to Grow Tower Hamlets: Roots & Routes – A Walking Tour of Community Food Gardens

[ THIS TOUR HAS NOW ENDED, SIGN UP for future tours: email 'righttogrowth@gmail.com' with “Sign me up for a Walking Tour!” ]

Join the Right to Grow Tower Hamlets campaign as we celebrate the borough’s vibrant network of community food projects with the launch of our Roots & Routes map — a guide to gardens that honour local harvests, global food traditions, and the stories that connect people to the land and each other.

As part of the Power of Food Festival, we’ll host a 2-hour walking tour on Saturday 27 September, exploring four community food gardens in Spitalfields and Bethnal Green. Covering 3–4 miles on foot, we’ll celebrate the rich harvests, diverse cultures, and shared stories that make Tower Hamlets unique. 

The tour will highlight not only what is grown, but who grows it — and how you can get involved through volunteering, workshops, and online support. Projects include:

• Gardens in housing estates

• Wildlife-friendly nature reserves

• Spaces for recovery and addiction support

• Community orchards

• Guerrilla gardening initiatives

• Faith-based growing projects

• Gardens for arts, children, and education
  
  

We’ll explore how gardens foster wellbeing, build urban food resilience, and reconnect people with nature. Along the way, we’ll share practical tips on finding urban growing spaces, spotting fruit trees, and starting community projects through grassroots action.

More than plants — it’s about people. Roots & Routes is about nourishing bodies and relationships, and strengthening connections between gardeners, neighbours, and communities through food, culture, and heritage.

~

Tour Details
09:45 – Arrive at Spitalfields City Farm, Buxton Street, London, E1 5AR (The farm entrance is on Buxton Street, next to Thomas Buxton School.)

10:00–12:00 – Walking tour ending at Cranbrook Community Food Garden

12:00–16:00 – Join their Harvest Celebration – OPEN TO ALL, NO BOOKING NEEDED – featuring The Cranbrook Community Cookbook, an 18-month project gathering recipes from local residents through shared cooking and conversation — a testament to Tower Hamlets’ resilience and food sovereignty.

This walking tour is free — if you’d like to support the campaign, we’ll be accepting cash donations on the day.

UPDATE: EXTENDED TO 20 SPOTS (Previously 16) — sign up to secure your place, and please cancel if you can no longer attend so others may join.

~

Access
Family-friendly (ages 5+; children must be with an adult). The route is 3–4 miles in 2 hours; please wear suitable footwear and bring waterproof clothing if needed.

~

About Right to Grow Tower Hamlets
We are a grassroots movement unlocking access to land for community food growing, transforming underused spaces into thriving hubs of wellbeing, resilience, and local action. Learn more and support us: rtgth.org.uk/home