Transition Newton Abbot manages Vicary’s Field Community Garden, near Bakers Park and Decoy Community Orchard. We work very closely with the town council that owns Vicary’s Field. The community garden was created at the start of 2009 as a space for the community to learn and practice growing food and other land based skills. It is also a space for people to meet other people from the community and relax.

We aim to demonstrate organic gardening using permaculture principles, to be an educational and recreational facility for the local community, to conserve materials and energy through composting and recycling, to create a garden that promotes wildlife and biodiversity and to provide a relaxing yet inspiring environment for all. We created a forest garden area with lots of fruit trees and different edible plants, a wildlife area and a growing area.

Throughout the years we have organised many events and activities related to gardening, local food and outdoor skills and engaged many sectors of the community, schools, pre-schools, Duke of Edinburgh students, young people doing courses at the Change Academy, resettled families, families with children, our amazing volunteers and many more.

We took the management of Decoy Community Orchard from the Teignbridge greenspaces team in 2021. The orchard has a variety of old/ mature apple and pear trees. Every year we organise an apple picking and apple pressing session that is very popular.

Transition Newton Abbot has also a book group. The book group brings people together who are interested in exploring ideas and strategies for more sustainable living. Group members always aim to incorporate something from the books into their own lives, either individually or as a group, e.g. a change in buying habits or a visit to an interesting project.

We welcome any member of the community and new ideas. Come and join us.