A Westport ‘food forest’ which grew from wasteland demonstrated the power of community action
A transformative community project in Westport has come to a close after a year of dedicated effort, leaving a lasting legacy on the town and making a meaningful contribution to climate action.
The initiative, a collaboration between Westport Tidy Towns, Food Forests Ireland (FFI), and Trinity College Dublin (TCD), turned an unused piece of waste ground into a thriving food forest.
Over twelve months, the partnership combined local community action with academic research to create meaningful environmental and social change in response to growing socio-ecological challenges.
The Father Angelus Park Food Forest was led by FFI, a national environmental education and training organisation that promotes the creation of edible, resilient ecosystems modelled on natural woodlands.
Westport Tidy Towns played a crucial role in mobilising volunteers, maintaining the site, and ensuring the project became an integral part of the town's broader sustainability vision.
The food forest formed part of the LEVERS project, coordinated through the Science and Society Research Group at TCD and funded by the European Commission.
Active in nine countries across Europe, LEVERS aimed to promote regional and cross-sector collaboration on climate action. The Westport food forest represented the local strand of this international effort.
Although the official project has now concluded, the Father Angelus Food Forest remains very much alive and is a thriving community space that continues to grow, feed pollinators, and bring people together through learning and local action.
It stands as a living laboratory and community hub, offering ongoing opportunities for education, participation, and connection.
Local resident Pat Fahy in the Father Angelus Food Forest in Westport. Photo: Penny McGovern.
Speaking at the wrap-up event, Caithriona McCarthy, Programme Director with Food Forests Ireland, said the project represented real climate action.
"This is people out taking climate action, planting, having a bit of fun, but taking real concrete action for the environment - without even realising it,"
This, she explained, was the main aim of the LEVERS Project: "It was to get communities engaged in climate action."
Collaboration, Ms McCarthy said, was the key to the success of the food forest project, and is vital for any effective climate action.
"Without collaboration in the area of climate change, we are on a highway to nothing," she added, "So many people have so much valuable knowledge that all feeds into the one piece of knowledge - it's been great"
Eithne Larkin, the Chair of Westport Tidy Towns, echoed this.
"It's a perfect example of what Tidy Towns is about, everyone working together. We are delighted with the outcome," she said.
"We had this vision, we have worked with FFI for a long time. There were some hiccups along the way; not all community projects run smoothly, but it was great to learn from them. It was great to have the backing and support of Trinity, and it was a really good collaboration."
Pat Fahy, a Westport resident and volunteer with Westport Tidy Towns, was one of the main community drivers behind the food forest.
Mr Fahy held weekly planting sessions at the food forest park and was always on hand to answer residents' questions and offer suggestions on which plants to include in the forest.
He described the project as an inspiring experience.
"It was amazing to see the way the residents got involved, it's just been a fabulous project, it was kind of a bit of magic," he said.
Mr Fahy explained how the food forest brought people together and showed that creating such spaces was something anyone could do at home.
It demonstrated the importance of climate action beyond the traditional classroom, engaging people in a different, more hands-on way.
"There's so many elements to it, and for me now as an environmental activist, in my own local way, there's so many aspects of the food forest you can bring back with you and explain to people in a nice, gentle, positive way," Mr Fahy explained.
"I'm enthusiastic about food forests, from this project and from previous food forests; it just does something to people. I can't wait to see where it goes next."
Mairéad Hurley, Assistant Professor in Science and Society Education at TCD and coordinator of the LEVERS Project, said the Westport initiative reflects a wider international effort to inspire community-led climate action.
"What we are doing in all of those locations is we are building collaborations between different kinds of organisations, community groups, social enterprises, schools, and in each case, the driving principle is action first.
She emphasised that while awareness is important, it is action that truly drives climate change, pointing to Westport as a clear example of this.
"What's happened here in Westport has been people taking action, and now we are seeing results a year later,
"From the first tree being planted in October 2024, to a thriving community garden now, which is a living lab, a learning space, a community hub and climate action is embedded in it. It isn't front and centre," she said.
"We're not trying to push it down people's throats and say 'get out and take climate action' - We're saying get out, reach your community, grow something together, enjoy sustainability, connect with land, connect with nature and connect with one another."
Ms Hurley added that lessons from Westport and other LEVERS projects across Europe are being shared with policymakers to shape future responses to climate change.
"We are trying to bring this message to policymakers in terms of education, in terms of funding for climate action, and in terms of how we design climate projects."
The success of the Father Angelus Park Food Forest has already sparked plans for expansion. Food Forests Ireland, working with Westport Tidy Towns and local groups, plans to replicate the model along the Great Western Greenway through a new project called the Infrastructure Enabled Edible Landscape.
The project has also inspired several spin-off climate initiatives in Westport, among them was the Testing the Waters Project, which brought science and art together to explore what a healthy river looks like and to highlight the vital role biodiversity plays in local waterways.
Recognising that different groups held varying views on what constitutes a "clean" river, the project created a platform for dialogue. By using science, local knowledge, and creativity, the project helped the community move from discussion to action, identifying practical steps to protect the river and build climate action.
The focus on collaboration, education, and community demonstrates how these three elements, when brought together, can drive successful climate action. That same spirit will carry forward into the next project, the Infrastructure Enabled Edible Landscape.
For more information on food forests, visit the Food Forests Ireland website www.foodforests.ie
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.