River Garden Auchincruive

09/10/2026

The Gruffalo and his daughter are cooking up a pot of mouse stew for Gruffalo Granny’s upcoming visit to River Garden next Friday!

Cosy up with your wee one at Bookbug to enjoy Julia Donaldson’s brilliant rhyming text and follow Mouse as he outsmarts the Gruffalo family once more.

If you have wee ones who love the Bookbug or the Gruffalo, come to the Bothy Cafe on Friday 16 October at 9.30am for a free, Gruffalo-themed Bookbug session. Feel free to bring your own Gruffalo toys or wear your Gruffalo clothes, and don't forget the wart on your nose!

* Recommended from 0-5 years
* Completely free event
* Drop-in, no need to book
* Runs every Friday at 9.30am
* Sessions are outdoors (under a pergola) so dress for the weather!
* Session lasts approximately 25 minutes.

Bookbug at the Bothy Cafe is part of the national Bookbug programme run by the Scottish Book Trust. Find out more here: scottishbooktrust.com/bookbug

08/10/2026

Are you brave enough to face your fears at River Garden After Dark this spooky season? We're hosting spine-tingling scare tours on 25, 29, and 30 October, and we dare you to join us for an unforgettable night of eerie surprises and terrifying tales that will leave you shivering with fear! 🎃️💀️

Our expert storytellers will guide you through the dark and mysterious River Garden, where the shadows come alive and the trees seem to whisper sinister secrets in the wind. But be warned: our tours take place in a dark environment, outdoors, and are not for the faint of heart.

* We recommend the event is suitable for over 14s, so leave the little ones at home and come prepared for a night of thrills and chills! 😱️
* Tours last approximately 30 minutes, but the memories will haunt you for a lifetime.
* Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour start time, and be prepared to navigate uneven surfaces outdoors.
* Our Bothy Cafe will be open until 9:30, serving up warm drinks and snacks to calm your nerves.
* By booking, you confirm that you understand and accept the conditions: you're comfortable walking for 25-30 minutes, can navigate approximately 10 stairs, and are ready to face your darkest fears.

So, do you dare to be scared at River Garden After Dark? Book your tickets now and find out! 🎟️

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/river-garden-after-dark-presents-tam-tam-the-wicker-man-tickets-2002939501968

03/10/2026

03/10/2026

This week a group of residents, volunteers, and staff visited the Organic Growers of Fairlie to learn how their community of over 170 plotholders and volunteers work together to produce lots of organic, seasonal produce for their local community, and all about their compost system. It was a really good visit, with lots of fun and learning, and we hope we can manage our new compost system as well as they do! Thanks so much for sharing your time, knowledge, and your gorgeous garden with us.

03/10/2026

Having met Simmy some years ago it is remarkable and heart warming to see the transformation he has achieved with the support of those around him. Recovery takes different forms but being human in every respect is at the heat of the journey. Simon Community Scotland

01/10/2026

We were absolutely delighted to welcome Rhiannon and Tracy to River Garden! 👋🌿

Both Rhiannon and Tracy work for the incredible charity WithYou in Argyll and Bute, doing amazing work supporting people into and on their journey of recovery. They made their own journey all the way from Argyll and Bute to spend some time with us, and we are so glad they did.

From the benefits of Equine Therapy 🐴 to Rhiannon rescuing bumble bees 🐝, the conversation was absolutely fascinating. Everything we discussed was underpinned by their genuine, infectious passion for people, places, and animals.

Two lovely people doing wonderful work. Thank you for visiting! 💚

WithYou (in South Ayrshire) WithYou in East Ayrshire

28/09/2026

Thanks so much to the more than 100 people who came down in yesterday's pouring rain to vote for our scarecrows! We had some really magnificent entries - from WednesHay Addams, Hermion-hay Granger, and Princess Fiona to superheroes and werewolves and gorgons and footballers. We hope you all had fun making them!

The results have been counted, and the winners are:

Child/family (by one vote!) Martina & family's Jack Scareington
Adult: Andy's Liam GallagHay

The slightly damp scarecrows will be up for a week, and hopefully they'll inspire you all for the 2027 River Garden Scarecrow competition! Only 12 months to go....

26/09/2026

And they're up! Lots of lovely and very creative entries for the scarecrow competition are ready for judging tomorrow. Come down to the cafe for a voting form and pick the winners before 3 tomorrow. There'll be some extra autumn fun games, too.

Good luck to all the entrants!

25/09/2026

🌱🌱🌱
Get ready to be part of a movement that's shaping a brighter future! 🌟

As part of Scotland’s Climate Week (28 September – 4 October 2026), River Garden will be joining communities, schools, businesses and individuals across Scotland taking action on climate change. Climate Week celebrates progress - and shows us all how to go further.

We will be holding a seed-saving workshop - come along and learn how to harvest, dry, and store seeds from this year's garden to save for next year. You'll also get a chance to be the among the first to use our new community seed swap - a seed library where anyone can share and/or access seeds for their own garden.

Join us at the Potting Shed on 3 October from 10am-12pm. Take away seeds for your own garden and be inspired to create a greener tomorrow! 🌿

Free, and open to all! 🌱🌱🌱

23/09/2026

Today’s announcement of the latest drug death statistics for Scotland brings a familiar, crushing sadness.

It often feels like there is so little left to say that hasn’t already been said. Every year brings new headlines, numbers, and analysis, but no words seem capable of capturing the true weight of what these figures represent: the ongoing, heartbreaking loss of human life, and the endless grief felt by families, friends, and communities left behind.

Here we see the human reality behind recovery every single day. We are privileged to watch people arrive at our gates—often exhausted and carrying heavy burdens—and we watch them grow, heal, and eventually leave us to build full, meaningful lives.

Seeing that transformation firsthand—witnessing the warmth, humor, talent, and immense potential in every resident who walks through our doors—makes these numbers even harder to process. It reminds us with brutal clarity that every single statistic announced today was a person. A son, a daughter, a parent, a friend. Someone who deserved the time, safety, and support to find their way back.

Behind every number is a story that ended too soon, and a chair at a family table that remains empty.

Our hearts go out today to everyone across Scotland living with the pain of loss, and to everyone still struggling in the dark. We hold you in our thoughts.