About Common Ground Suffolk
A community benefit society helping people across Suffolk and surrounding areas grow their own food, with hands-on support from trained volunteers.
Common Ground Suffolk is a community benefit society registered in England. We exist to help people grow food, in gardens, on balconies, in raised beds, and on windowsills, with the hands-on support of trained community volunteers. We are not a commercial enterprise. Every penny we generate goes back into the community.
Why we exist
Food costs are rising. Supply chains that once felt unshakeable have proved fragile. And for many people, the knowledge of how to grow even a fraction of their own food has quietly disappeared over the past few generations. We think that is worth doing something about.
At the same time, there is more growing space in this country than most people realise, back gardens standing largely unused, south-facing walls with nothing on them, community land sitting idle. The knowledge and the space both exist; they just need connecting. That is what we do.
How we work
We send trained volunteers to visit your space, whether that is a garden, an allotment plot, a balcony, or a single windowsill, and help you work out what to grow and how. We take into account your soil, your light, your time, and your preferences. Then we help you get started.
For people whose health, age, or mobility makes hands-on gardening difficult, our volunteers can tend a space on your behalf. We believe everyone should be able to benefit from local food growing, not just those who are physically able to dig.
We also use the society’s funds to build shared infrastructure across the community: rainwater harvesting systems, communal composting setups, and raised beds where space allows. These assets belong to the community and keep working for years after we build them.
Our activities extend beyond individual growing spaces. We work with schools and community organisations to advance food growing education, and we seek partnerships with health and care providers to support people for whom growing and being outdoors can make a real difference to their wellbeing. Where members and beneficiaries produce more than they can use, we also help facilitate the sharing and sale of surplus produce within the community at affordable prices.
What we believe in
Organic methods
We promote growing without synthetic pesticides or artificial fertilisers, not because it is fashionable, but because it is better for the soil, for wildlife, and for the people eating the food.
Shared knowledge
Growing food is a skill that belongs to everyone. We write everything in plain language, explain every term we use, and never assume prior experience.
No unnecessary spending
You can grow a significant amount of food with very little money. We will never tell you to buy something you do not need.
Community resilience
A neighbourhood where more people grow food is a more resilient neighbourhood. Local food reduces dependence on supply chains and builds relationships between neighbours.
Honesty
Plants fail. We tell you why they might fail, how to spot problems early, and how to do better next time. Gardening is a practice, not a performance.
Biodiversity
Growing food and supporting wildlife go hand in hand. We promote methods that benefit pollinators and other wildlife, and we treat every growing space as an opportunity to do something good for the natural world around it.
Our structure
As a community benefit society, Common Ground Suffolk is run for the benefit of the wider community rather than private shareholders. We are member-led and democratically governed, members have a say in how the society is run and where its funds go. Any surplus we generate is reinvested in the community, not distributed as profit.
Membership is open to anyone who supports our aims. Every member holds one vote, equal standing regardless of how long they have been involved or how much time they give. Find out more about becoming a member.
Get involved
Whether you want growing help for your own space, you’d like to volunteer your time and skills, or you want to become a member and have a formal say in how the society is run, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch and we’ll find the right way for you to be part of what we’re building. You can also read more about membership before deciding.