Bonus episode: A Right to Grow revolution for Londoners

This bonus episode was produced and first published by National Park City in spring 2026.

In this episode, London National Park City director Mark Cridge sits down with four community food growing leaders to explore how the Right to Grow movement is taking root across the capital. From housing estates in Tower Hamlets to empty greenhouses in Newham, the conversation covers why Londoners need greater access to land for food growing, what it takes to start a community garden from scratch, and how the campaign is building political momentum borough by borough.

Guests

Kalpana Arias, co-organiser, Right to Grow London Network Victoria (Tori) Sherwin, director, Incredible Edible Lambeth Carmen Ho, Right to Grow Tower Hamlets Selene, Transition Newham and Right to Grow Newham

What we talk about

The Right to Grow as a policy framework: what it asks of councils and why it matters for London's food security. The barriers communities face when trying to access public land for growing, from complex leases and absent points of contact to fear among councils of losing development potential. The tension between housing need and green space access, particularly in boroughs like Tower Hamlets. How food growing connects people across cultures and generations, from Bangladeshi grandmothers sharing growing knowledge to nursery children planting their first seeds. The role of seed swaps, cookbooks and walking tours in drawing new people into the movement. Why food growing belongs in the school curriculum. The intersection between food growing, biodiversity, wellbeing and London's identity as a National Park City. What success looks like in five years: every London borough adopting or working towards a Right to Grow policy, dedicated funding for community food growing, and training programmes to support new garden leaders.

Links

Right to Grow campaign (Incredible Edible): incredibleedible.org.uk/what-we-do/right-to-grow Right to Grow 

London Network sign-up: https://mailchi.mp/incredibleedible/london-right-to-grow 

Capital Growth (London's food growing network): capitalgrowth.org

Incredible Edible Lambeth: incredibleediblelambeth.org

Incredible Edible Lambeth Right to Grow page: incredibleediblelambeth.org/right-to-grow-campaign  

Southwark Council Right to Grow announcement: southwark.gov.uk  

London Assembly recommends Right to Grow (April 2025): incredibleedible.org.uk/news/london-assembly-recommends-right-to-grow  

We Are Grow (Barnet farm): wearegrow.org  

London National Park City: nationalparkcity.london  

Do London Differently Podcast (all episodes): nationalparkcity.london/podcast

Credits

Hosted by Mark Cridge. Produced by Michael Shilling. Recorded at the London National Park City Visitor Centre, Westminster.

Introduced by Pru Elliott for Incredible Edible with theme music: “soulcraft” by Airtone, Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (4.0)

Episode 7.

University life in the heart of Manchester is full of deadlines, pressures and expectations. But, for the student-led team at Incredible Edible University of Manchester gardening together, getting out doors, and meeting new people from all over the world offers a welcome breath of fresh air. 

This is an Incredible Edible group with a difference. They navigate a constant changing rotation of students coming and going, and most of the team leave campus for the peak of the growing season! but, they don’t let that stop them.

Find out more or get involved with Incredible Edible UOM via their instagram or the student union.

Special thanks to this episode’s guests, Miri, Patrick and Rob.

Incredible Edible is a movement of people growing their communities through food. Our groups operate as independent parts of a network, believing in the power of small actions to transform the places we call home.

For more information about Incredible Edible and to find - or set up - a local group, visit incredibleedible.org.uk 

You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.

This Podcast series was recorded, presented and edited by Pru Elliott for Incredible Edible. 

Theme music: “soulcraft” by Airtone, Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (4.0)

Episode 6.

Right in the heart of London, Tori and the team at Incredible Edible Lambeth are on a mission to change the way Londoners interact with food and nature. 

In this conversation Tori speaks candidly about the ways Londoners have been left with few opportunities to engage with food in positive ways and the struggles community growing projects face accessing land and funds. But she also speaks about the vision the team at Incredible Edible Lambeth are building towards; a bright future in which Lambeth has a Right to Grow and a robust urban agriculture strategy which embeds food within a range of community projects and creates viable local-food and horticulture jobs for city-dwellers.

Find out more or get involved with Incredible Edible Lambeth via their website. 

Special thanks to this episode's guest, Victoria Sherwin.

Incredible Edible is a movement of people growing their communities through food. Our groups operate as independent parts of a network, believing in the power of small actions to transform the places we call home.

For more information about Incredible Edible and to find - or set up - a local group, visit incredibleedible.org.uk 

You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.

This Podcast series was recorded, presented and edited by Pru Elliott for Incredible Edible. 

Theme music: “soulcraft” by Airtone, Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (4.0)

Episode 5. 

The Incredible Edible ladies of South Milford weren’t going to let ‘no’ stop them. Unperturbed by early challenges getting agreements from their local community to set up public veg beds, the group now has a whole series of thriving gardens, beloved by the people of the village. 

In this conversation with group leads Diane, Nadia and Sarah we get to see a real showcase of the resilience of individuals who are determined to do something great for the place they call home. 

Find out more or get involved with Incredible Edible South Milford via their facebook page, and find out more about Incredible Edible Leeds on their website. 

Special thanks to this episode's guests, Diane Lee, Nadia Hassan and Sarah Coy.

Incredible Edible is a movement of people growing their communities through food. Our groups operate as independent parts of a network, believing in the power of small actions to transform the places we call home.

For more information about Incredible Edible and to find - or set up - a local group, visit incredibleedible.org.uk 

You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.

This Podcast series was recorded, presented and edited by Pru Elliott for Incredible Edible. 

Theme music: “soulcraft” by Airtone, Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (4.0)

Episode 4. (Part 2 of 2).

Andrew has chronic fatigue which can stop him participating in practical gardening tasks at Incredible Edible Prestwich and District. But, he certainly doesn’t let it stop him from being an invaluable asset to the group. In this episode, part two to accompany Episode 3, Andrew tells us why disabilities don’t have to stop you getting involved, and how he was able to use his skills and energy to secure a brand new and highly impactful policy from Bury Council; a Right to Grow for food and nature on public land. 

Find out more or get involved with Incredible Edible Prestwich and District via their website https://iepad.co.uk/ 

You can find all the resources Andrew has made available from his work in the Right to Grow here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Pzs_4Q19LPjPX-glf4NqywtlX9tNL87L?usp=drive_link 

Special thanks to this episode’s guest, Andrew Levy.

Incredible Edible is a movement of people growing their communities through food. Our groups operate as independent parts of a network, believing in the power of small actions to transform the places we call home.

For more information about Incredible Edible and to find - or set up - a local group, visit incredibleedible.org.uk 

You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.

This Podcast series was recorded, presented and edited by Pru Elliott for Incredible Edible. 

Theme music: “soulcraft” by Airtone, Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (4.0)

Episode 3. (Part 1 of 2).

Incredible Edible Prestwich and District takes inspiration from the three tenets of permaculture; earth care, people care and fair share. Mark tells us that although Incredible Edible started in the hope that it might feed people, it has since become so much more than that.

Find out more or get involved with Incredible Edible Prestwich and District via their website https://iepad.co.uk/ 

Special thanks to this episode’s guest, Mark Lockwood.

Incredible Edible is a movement of people growing their communities through food. Our groups operate as independent parts of a network, believing in the power of small actions to transform the places we call home.

For more information about Incredible Edible and to find - or set up - a local group, visit incredibleedible.org.uk 

You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.

This Podcast series was recorded, presented and edited by Pru Elliott for Incredible Edible. 

Theme music: “soulcraft” by Airtone, Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (4.0)

Episode 2.

Dan runs a community supported agriculture project near Redruth in Cornwall and started wondering what else he could do in his community to build food system resilience, and how he could help people to think more about where their food comes from. He decided it was time to start growing food right in the heart of the town’s high street and launched Incredible Edible Redruth. 

Find out more or get involved with Incredible Edible Redruth via facebook

Special thanks to this episode’s guest, Dan Sargison.

Episode 1.

In a bid to connect the citizens of the London borough of Barnet with their food, Wendy began an ambitious project to ramp up community gardening in her borough. In just a few short years, the number of gardens has doubled. Wendy’s approach has been all about empowering others, and watching the ripple effects that spread out from small, local actions. 

Find out more or get involved with Incredible Edible Barnet via their facebook or by emailing [email protected]. You can find the map Wendy spoke about here.

Special thanks to this episode’s guest, Wendy Alcock @haveagrow

Incredible Edible is a movement of people growing their communities through food. Our groups operate as independent parts of a network, believing in the power of small actions to transform the places we call home.

For more information about Incredible Edible and to find - or set up - a local group, visit incredibleedible.org.uk 

You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.

This Podcast series was recorded, presented and edited by Pru Elliott for Incredible Edible. 

Theme music: “soulcraft” by Airtone, Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (4.0)