Our history

Green City Projects (GCP) CIC was set up in 2019. GCP directors, Ben Ledden and Catherine Tidnam, have over 10 years’ experience running successful community garden projects in a variety of settings, including housing, mental health and education, as well as delivering private design work and garden maintenance services. They also draw on previous experience of working in TV, design, communications and the voluntary sector.

With support from the Lottery Community Fund, in 2020, GCP set up St Paul’s Woodland Garden Project at St Paul’s Church Camden Square. GCP also works with communities at the Greenwood Centre, Kentish Town and Charlie Ratchford Court, Chalk Farm.

Both Ben and Catherine are qualified to RHS Level 2 in Horticulture.

Ben Ledden

Ben Ledden

Catherine Tidnam

Catherine Tidnam

Ben Ledden

Ben Ledden

Ben has set up and run a number of community garden projects. The Highgate Mental Health Day Centre received first prize two years running at Camden in Bloom for their community and environmental work. The project also won Silver at the RHS London in Bloom Awards.

Ben runs a gardening and baking group for the Richmond Fellowship which gained a Highly Commended at their National ‘Enrich’ Awards, for work in combating social isolation, creating opportunities for social enterprise and empowering the group to go out and take those opportunities.

His community gardening project at St George’s House Camden for the Richmond Fellowship earned a Silver Award in the Best Community Garden category of Islington in Bloom.

Catherine Tidnam

Catherine Tidnam

Catherine has delivered community gardening workshops in a variety of settings including mental health, adult learning and schools. Prior to that she worked for 5 years in an innovative social enterprise supporting people with severe mental health issues back into work.

She also provides horticultural maintenance for a number of corporate and private clients. She was part of the Growing Connections team at St Luke’s Centre, EC1 which won Islington in Bloom’s Best Community Garden and won Gold in London in Bloom Awards.

She manages the Southwood Garden at St James’s Piccadilly which has achieved Green Flag status for 3 years running. The Southwood Garden also contributed to St James’s being awarded Eco Gold for its achievements in sustainability and environmentalism – the first urban Church to achieve such an accolade.

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What motivates us?

  • A belief that gardens and gardening can have a transformational impact on people.
  • A belief that gardening can offer a multitude of opportunities for participation in response to people’s age, interests, energy, skills and knowledge.
  • The desire to work with others to create nature-rich, inclusive and flexible green spaces.
  • An urgency to address climate change by understanding and developing the ecology of our sites and reducing our carbon footprint.
  • A commitment to sharing what we learn.

St Paul’s Woodland Garden won the National Green Health Awards, a UK wide competition run by the Church Times and the Conservation Foundation. Listen to an interview on BBC Radio 4

Green Health Awards