Clem's Garden

21/08/2024

***UPDATE: Our bottle and jar clear out is now finished - thank you!***

We’re working through the process of moving on our materials and equipment at the moment. It’s great that other community organisations in Kirklees will be able to give new life and use to many of our assets and we’ll be making a final donation to One Community Foundation too in the near future 💚

We have lots of glass jars (no lids) and gin bottles that were kindly donated to us for kindness jars and other flower displays.

If you can make use of any and help save them from the bottle bank then please get in touch x

26/09/2023

Well, what a special day it’s been. Dunc and I were thrilled to welcome Vickie and Michael all the way from Australia! 🇦🇺

And how did we meet? Through sharing the story of Clem's Garden with the The Full Stop podcast *, which Michael co-hosts. How fantastic to be able to switch from a Zoom call to actually meeting face to face for a coffee and a proper chat today 🙂

One of the really precious aspects of Clem’s for me has always been the sense of connectedness and community it created, and even though we’re not coming together to grow the flowers anymore, those bonds endure. The ritual of the Clem’s tea break even continues - members of our old flower crew will be getting together for our monthly coffee and natter later in the week ☕️

I hope we can all still remember to make time to pick up the phone or find a reason to knock for our friends and neighbours too 💚…..because we all need to feel that someone’s keeping us in mind sometimes, don’t we?

Sending love and gratitude for all your support
Vicky 💐x



* The Full Stop is a brilliant podcast and online community providing support, inspiration, and comradeship for those of us who are childless not by choice

06/06/2023

To Lizzie and Debbie and Jem and Vanda and Annie D and Ann and Curly Chris and Sweet Pea Bob and Paula and Jack and Crissie and Margaret and Janet and Wes and Margaret and Dion and J Hatt and Julie and Annie H and Donna and Sally and Dunc and Rozi and Halyna and Caroline and Kate and Elizabeth and Vic and Alison….and Barbara and Christine and Susan and Phil (who have all done a good job of avoiding the camera!)……and to everyone who has been part of our team at Clem’s over the last 6 years….

THANK YOU - YOU’RE AMAZING 💚💚💚 ###x

05/06/2023

Hi everyone, we have an important announcement to share with you.

It’s with a very heavy heart, that we’ve made the really really difficult decision not to re-open Clem's Garden 💔

As many of you know, I’ve been fighting cancer over the last 6 months, and thanks to the amazing staff at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and Jimmy’s, I’m very thankful that it’s currently in remission 🙏 However, there’s still a long road ahead in my recovery and I’ve also been trying to adapt to living with MS over the last few years.

Clem’s Garden has been the most wonderful and life-affirming project I’ve ever been involved with, but it’s also been all-consuming - it’s very hard to switch off when your workplace is also your home; and even with all the input from my brilliant colleagues, I just don’t think I’ve got quite enough energy left in my tank to keep Clem’s growing.

On behalf of us all at Clem’s I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your fantastic support and kindness over the last 6 years. Thank you for buying our flowers and choosing seasonal, local, chemical- and cellophane-free blooms 🌏 Thank you for helping us spread the message that and 💚. And thank you for helping us raise £10,000 to support other grassroots community projects in Kirklees 🙂.

Finally, as this is , I’d like to celebrate all my fellow volunteer colleagues who have so generously shared their time, their skills, and their love come rain or shine over the last few years to make Clem’s Garden something to really feel proud of. It’s always been a true team effort, and a more special bunch of people you could never wish to meet 💚💚💚

Go gently.

Love
Vicky xx

01/05/2023

Hi everyone, we miss you and hope you’re all ok.

We’ve had a couple of enquiries recently, so I thought I’d just pop by with a little reminder that sadly Clem's Garden will be closed this year, while I focus on working through my cancer treatment and recovery. So we won’t have any flowers for sale.

Go gently
Vicky 💐x

19/02/2023

Just a little shout out for Ladies That Dig - a brand new play that will be coming to the Lawrence Batley Theatre on Friday 24th February.

We were delighted to be asked to share our stories of what working the soil means to us as part of the research for this play 💐💐💐

Only a few tickets left!

22/01/2023

As many of you will know, Clem's Garden was originally set up so that those of us having to come to terms with not being a mum or dad, had somewhere to come together and find an opportunity to have our nurturing, skills and experience valued.

The grief of involuntary childlessness is often invisible - it’s something that’s not widely acknowledged or talked about but it’s very real; so I was really touched to be invited to share my story on this podcast about how Clem’s came to be.

If you’re struggling with the grief of not having kids then please know you’re not alone. The Full Stop is a great resource for finding advice and support.

Go gently
Vicky x

Not having a child is as life changing as having one. The grief can derail us. Sometimes it can create change.

In our January 2023 episode we talk to Caroline Stafford, the owner of , Mike Sparks from and Vicky House, the founder of about their motivation to make a change and how they came to do what they do, and unexpected challenges and joy of running a business. Listeners List subscribers will have your newsletter any second now!

Listen to the stories of three guests and how they became curious and followed the arrows. It's an incredible listen and you'll have a smile on your face, we promise. Thank you Mike, Caroline and Vicky, you're amazing ❤️

https://linktr.ee/fullstopcic

16/01/2023

I can’t thank you enough for all your beautiful messages of support over the last few days 💚💚💚

I’ve had amazing care and treatment from the staff at Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust ; and I’m grateful to be home now to build up ahead of the next chapter in my treatment.

The Clem’s Fb page may be a bit quiet for a while now, but we’ll be back!

Until then, take good care.

Lots of love
Vicky xx

12/01/2023

Hi everyone - it’s Vicky popping back from our winter break a little prematurely. Happy New Year to you all!

Well, December and January haven’t quite brought me the relaxing and revitalising break from the flower garden I had planned in my mind.

Unfortunately, a precautionary visit to my GP with what I thought were fairly innocuous symptoms triggered a raft of fast-tracked investigations over Christmas and a diagnosis of cancer last week.

The staff and systems at Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust have been incredible in spite of the enormous pressures we know the NHS is under, and I’m very grateful to be recovering well from the first stage in a comprehensive treatment plan.

My beautiful colleagues at Clem’s have also been amazing, and although it breaks my heart a little, I’ve been persuaded that some peace and quiet is probably required over the coming months so that I can fully concentrate on getting better. Sadly, this means that we’ll be pressing pause on growing our flowers this year until I’m back to health again.

As I lie here on my hospital bed, thoughts of next year’s sweet peas and tulips and sharing them with you again bring me so much to look forward to. That’s the magical thing about seeds and bulbs! And there’ll also be the tea breaks in the garden with Team Clem and Friends ☕️🌷🌻🌸💐

Until we’re back, take good care 💚
Vicky x

30/11/2022

So the day has come. We’re signing off for our first proper winter break in five years. Just as we believe our flower patch needs time to rest and rejuvenate each year, it’s seems like good advice for volunteers too!

We’ll look forward to returning in March and to sharing our beautiful, natural, and truly seasonal flowers with you again next year.

Thanks to our wonderful customers and in partnership with One Community Foundation we’re proud to have generated £2k which will be used to support other community projects in Kirklees. We’ve also donated hundreds of bunches and jars of flowers to spread comfort, cheer, and reminders that people care.

Huge thanks to all of you for reading our posts, sending a wave, spreading the word about our social enterprise and eco-flowers, donating jars, and buying our blooms. Your support means the world.

We send you our love and best thoughts for the winter months 💚

See you in the spring! 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

Team Clem and Friends 💐xx