Spring 2026
Planting, pollinators and new beginnings
Spring was when Thriving with the Seasons truly came to life. From March to June 2026, people across Darwen & Blackburn came together to grow food, forage, cook, explore local heritage, learn about pollinators and develop practical tools for wellbeing.
This page brings together the stories, skills, memories and community knowledge shared during our first season.
Spring taught us that growth begins quietly. Seeds were sown, potatoes planted, wild foods gathered and pollinators welcomed back. People began learning new skills, but they also began forming friendships, sharing memories and reconnecting with knowledge held by families and communities for generations.
As the days lengthened and the land became active again, the project did too. Spring became a season of beginnings, not only in the gardens, but in confidence, connection and community.
Stories from the season
Some of the most important heritage gathered through the project has emerged through ordinary conversations: memories of family kitchens, childhoods spent outdoors, inherited recipes, growing knowledge and reflections on how our relationship with time, nature and community has changed.
In nature nothing grows alone
I have just come across a saying, “In nature, nothing grows alone.” Today at the allotment I had conversations with people I’d only just met and with whom I immediately felt connected. Talking about the earth, land, plants, food, techniques etc made my heart light with a sense of connection to these people who a fortnight ago I could have passed in the street and felt nothing from their presence.
Today I feel lucky to have met them all and learned so much from the menu each person brings, so I guess the saying is true: “In nature, nothing grows alone, including friendships.”
The allotment is a place of therapy for me. Being able to work out in nature, preparing, growing and harvesting, sheltering from the rain or snow at times, even sheltering from the sun, feeling the effects of the weather directly feeds my Soul.
I can choose to work as part of a group or by myself. I love the humour of the people around me, they’re upbeat and positive.
Finding solutions to practical problems exercises my brain. Digging keeps my muscular system strong, which in turn delays osteoporosis, and all the time I’m learning about plants, seasons, birds, food preparation and weather conditions.
The robin seems to appear every time we do and will come quite close to us. We’ve given up putting bird food in the feeder as the squirrels take it all. I’ve booked them in at Weight Watchers for next week, but I haven’t told them yet!
All in all, a good session, nine out of ten!
Dee March 2026
A kitchen full of people
Spring brought people back together around tables, gardens and shared activities, opening conversations about the community life people remember and miss.
Traditions I miss are the simple ones. People just popping round, a brew always on, kids in and out of each other’s houses without planning it weeks in advance. Life felt a bit slower and more connected in that way. I also miss seeing kids properly walking to school, chatting and noticing the world around them. It feels like so much of that has been replaced by heads down on phones.
What made people feel held together, I think, was that real sense of community and looking out for each other. I remember my mum inviting neighbours and kids round for tea, bags of chips wrapped in newspaper, everyone just sat together. And things like inviting elderly neighbours in at Christmas so no one was on their own. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it meant something.
I also remember going to my grandparents’ and being shouted at for walking near the telly if the football was on, everyone gathered round, checking the pools results on the wireless. You had to be completely quiet or you’d get “the look”. It sounds funny now, but at the time it felt so serious, one of those memories that really sticks with you.
Another memory that stands out is the rag-and-bone man coming round with his cart. My nan, Mrs Moon, would swap bits of scrap for donkey stones to scrub and polish the doorstep. I can still remember the smell of the wood burners and the dust in her house, but more than anything, it just felt warm and homely.
It’s made me realise how much of that I carry with me now, especially in the way I connect with people and create things.
Beccy, April 2026
Tired of being wired
Too connected/stimulated- substances, social media etc. Lack of attention, focus, imagination, planning, preparation, endeavour. Expected instant gratification & validation. Faster world, unlimited resources, digital manipulation. Sedentary, energy is not moving, just stored. Distant from nature/real world.
Dawn April 2026
From our kitchens
Christines Comforting Lentil Soup
Christines Comforting Lentil Soup
Christines Comforting Lentil Soup
As winter loosened its grip and spring remained changeable, Christine shared the simple family soup her mum made whenever someone needed warmth, nourishment and care. When she was a child and money was tight, her mum would make this nourishing and comforting soup whenever the family was under the weather.
Christine still makes it today,
As winter loosened its grip and spring remained changeable, Christine shared the simple family soup her mum made whenever someone needed warmth, nourishment and care. When she was a child and money was tight, her mum would make this nourishing and comforting soup whenever the family was under the weather.
Christine still makes it today, especially when she is not feeling 100 per cent.
“It never fails to hit the spot.”
Ingredients
- Carrots, with the skins left on
- 1 onion
- A handful of red lentils
- 2 vegetable stock cubes
- Water
Method
- Wash the carrots thoroughly and leave the skins on.
- Chop the carrots and onion.
- Place the vegetables in a saucepan with the red lentils and vegetable stock cubes.
- Add enough water to cover the ingredients.
- Bring everything to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the lentils and vegetables are completely soft.
- Blend until smooth.
- Serve warm.
Shared by Christine, April 2026
Like many recipes passed down through families, this soup was made by feel rather than from written measurements. Adjust the quantities and consistency to suit your household.
Tea Brak
Christines Comforting Lentil Soup
Christines Comforting Lentil Soup
Lesley's auntie tea brak recipe
380g mixed dried fruit -I used sultanas, raisins, and chopped apricots.
320ml hot tea (2 bags)
Soak fruit in hot tea overnight mixing a couple of times.
Add 110 g brown sugar and 1 egg to the fruit mixture.
Sift 230g self raising flour with 1/2 teaspoon of dried ginger and 2 teaspoons of mixed spice into the f
Lesley's auntie tea brak recipe
380g mixed dried fruit -I used sultanas, raisins, and chopped apricots.
320ml hot tea (2 bags)
Soak fruit in hot tea overnight mixing a couple of times.
Add 110 g brown sugar and 1 egg to the fruit mixture.
Sift 230g self raising flour with 1/2 teaspoon of dried ginger and 2 teaspoons of mixed spice into the fruit mixture. Add 1 tablespoon milk to loosen.
Put in muffin cases and bake in fan oven 160 for about 30 mins. Test with toothpick to make sure cooked through.
Cool for 10 mins in muffin tray then remove to cool completely.
Enjoy with friends ❤️😋
Pams garlic bug spray
Christines Comforting Lentil Soup
Pams garlic bug spray
Pams homemade bug spray. Repels aphids, whitefly, spider mites , slugs and powdery mildew
Heritage lives in ordinary things.
Purple Sprout Group
Purple Sprout Group
Purple Sprout Group
The history of Buddees was also shared during the session. The group heard how it originally began as the Purple Sprout group, supporting single dads through growing and social connection. It moved through different sites and partnerships, including nurseries and horticultural courses linked with local colleges, before becoming the grow
The history of Buddees was also shared during the session. The group heard how it originally began as the Purple Sprout group, supporting single dads through growing and social connection. It moved through different sites and partnerships, including nurseries and horticultural courses linked with local colleges, before becoming the growing space it is today. This history matters because it shows that Buddees is not just a place to grow food, it is a place of community resilience, learning, social support and local heritage. The project is not starting from scratch, it is building on years of effort, care and community spirit. Pam and the others have worked hard throughout the years and touched many lives. We are incredibly grateful for sharing their wisdom with us.
Tomatoes
Purple Sprout Group
Purple Sprout Group
Excerpt from the 30/4 reflection .... There was also discussion about different tomato varieties. Gardeners’ Delight and Outdoor Girl were mentioned as reliable outdoor varieties, while Tigerella was introduced as a more unusual striped tomato. This led into a lovely conversation about the value of growing things that are harder to find
Excerpt from the 30/4 reflection .... There was also discussion about different tomato varieties. Gardeners’ Delight and Outdoor Girl were mentioned as reliable outdoor varieties, while Tigerella was introduced as a more unusual striped tomato. This led into a lovely conversation about the value of growing things that are harder to find in supermarkets, or that simply taste better when grown at home.
One participant shared memories of their dad’s tomatoes growing in his greenhouse, saying they could still remember the smell. This became a really important heritage moment in the session, showing how growing food is not just practical, it holds memory, family connection, place, and feeling. These are exactly the kinds of stories the Thriving with the Seasons project is trying to capture, because the project is about protecting living seasonal knowledge, traditional growing, food customs and oral histories before they disappear.
In our conversations
Purple Sprout Group
In our conversations
As always in our sessions we talk of the past. There was also a local history reflection during the session. One member shared that their house was built around 1887, on land that had been owned by Reverend Duckworth, who owned a considerable amount of land on that side of town. The house deeds still contain old restrictions, including
As always in our sessions we talk of the past. There was also a local history reflection during the session. One member shared that their house was built around 1887, on land that had been owned by Reverend Duckworth, who owned a considerable amount of land on that side of town. The house deeds still contain old restrictions, including that candles must not be made on the premises and that animals must not be slaughtered there. This led to a reflection on how property deeds can preserve traces of local history and show the kinds of activities that were once common enough to need specific rules.