Navigation House Lisburn

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Navigation House Lisburn Horticulture & Well-being Hub / Venue Hire operated by charitable organisation, Stepping Stones NI.

29/09/2026

A whole growing season in one little moment. ๐ŸŒป

Months ago, our group planted tiny Tarahumara sunflower seeds. We watched them push through the soil, grow taller and taller, flower, and eventually tower over us at almost 2.5 metres high ๐ŸŒป

This week, we finally gathered the seeds from the first one we planted.

For the group, it meant seeing the whole cycle with their own eyes from seed, to flower, to seed again ๐Ÿ”„

Everyone was amazed to see where sunflower seeds actually come from and Andrew, our chief sunflower seed collector, was laughing with pure delight as hundreds of them came tumbling into the tray. ๐Ÿ’›

These are the moments we love most in the garden. Not just growing plants, but growing curiosity, confidence, connection and joy.

And tucked inside every one of those seeds is the beginning of next yearโ€™s sunflower display. ๐ŸŒฑ๐ŸŒป

Contact us if youโ€™d like some giant Tarahumara sunflower seeds for your own garden ๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒป

Today is Autumn Equinox which traditionally marks the second and penultimate harvest of the season ๐ŸŒ— ๐ŸŒพ๐ŸŒฝFrom here on in, ...
23/09/2026

Today is Autumn Equinox which traditionally marks the second and penultimate harvest of the season ๐ŸŒ— ๐ŸŒพ๐ŸŒฝ

From here on in, our days start to get shorter and our nights longer and colder.

To cheer you all up, this week our Navigators sent a bumper harvest of our own agroecologically grown veg to our 2 cafes The Gatelodge Cafe and the Courtyard Cafe at Stepping Stones NI for use in the delicious dishes they prepare for you, our customers ๐Ÿฅฐ It includes:

๐Ÿ…A variety of cherry & heirloom beef tomatoes
๐Ÿฅฌ Kale
๐Ÿ’œ Purple cabbage
๐ŸซœBeetroot
๐Ÿ’š Leeks
๐Ÿฅ• Carrots
๐ŸƒGenovese basil
๐Ÿ’š Thyme
๐ŸŒฟ Wild rocket
โค๏ธ Swiss chard
๐Ÿฅ’ Cucumber
๐Ÿ’š Chives

An early birthday present for Pauline today in the garden while we were harvesting lettuce seeds for future planting, to...
14/09/2026

An early birthday present for Pauline today in the garden while we were harvesting lettuce seeds for future planting, tomatoes and cucumbers for our cafes and calendula flowers for crafts and future projects ๐Ÿฆ‹๐ŸŒผ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿฅ’

Rosamund and Gary gathering another  abundant harvest headed for our cafes at Stepping Stones NI and The Gatelodge Cafe....
25/08/2026

Rosamund and Gary gathering another abundant harvest headed for our cafes at Stepping Stones NI and The Gatelodge Cafe. This week we have a delicious mix of different cherry and heirloom varieties of tomato, cucumbers, kale, purple and green cabbage, purple kohlrabi, chives and beetroot ๐Ÿซœ๐Ÿฅ’๐Ÿฅฌ๐Ÿ…

Itโ€™s that time of year again! (Sort of...) ๐ŸŽ„Stepping Stones are delighted to be hosting our annual Christmas Fair at Nav...
21/08/2026

Itโ€™s that time of year again! (Sort of...) ๐ŸŽ„

Stepping Stones are delighted to be hosting our annual Christmas Fair at Navigation House, Lisburn, on Saturday 28th November.

If youโ€™re a local crafter and would like to take part, send us a DM or email [email protected] for more information.

Applications close 4th September.

Did you know that a lot of the produce we grow at Navigation House Lisburn is served in our cafes?  This week Laura at T...
20/08/2026

Did you know that a lot of the produce we grow at Navigation House Lisburn is served in our cafes? This week Laura at The Gatelodge Cafe was delighted to receive our freshly harvested cucumbers which she used to prepare this crisp salad for our customers ๐Ÿฅ—๐Ÿฅ’ You will also find our agroecologically grown produce at the Courtyard Cafe Stepping Stones NI in Lisburn ๐Ÿคฉ

18/08/2026

Juicy Tuesdays are back!

Today we made the most of a cucumber glut and transformed our produce into a healthy cold pressed juice. As well as cucumbers, carrots, apple, grapes, blueberries, orange and grapefruit, we experimented with some new flavours, adding beetroot and a purple cabbage leaf from the garden and some wild blackberries we foraged during our walk along the river ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ‡๐Ÿซ๐ŸŠ๐Ÿฅ’๐Ÿฅ•๐Ÿซœ

12/08/2026

This week in class our Navigators have been observing and noticing the very first signs of autumn beginning to creep in and we talked about how the 7th of August marked the halfway point between the longest day of the year at the summer solstice and the coming autumn equinox. We all agreed that we can see the days getting shorter already. Have you noticed?

On our walk along the river we collected flowers, leaves, nuts and berries to mark the first harvest of the season. We then transformed what we had gathered into this beautiful nature mandala, placing the sun at its centre as a nod to this weekโ€™s solar eclipse. โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŒ‘

As we worked together, we practised listening to one another, observing closely and making space for everyoneโ€™s ideas. It became a lovely reminder that each person has something unique and beautiful to contribute, and that when those individual contributions are brought together, they can become something even more special: a collaborative artwork that truly represents everyone who helped to create it. ๐Ÿ‚๐ŸŒผ๐ŸŒฟ

11/08/2026

๐ŸŒž๐ŸŒ‘ Getting ready for tomorrowโ€™s solar eclipse! ๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒž

Today our Navigators turned simple cereal boxes into their very own pinhole projectors, ready to safely watch tomorrowโ€™s eclipse.

As we measured, cut, taped and assembled our boxes, we learned a little about what happens during a solar eclipse and how we can observe it without looking directly at the Sun.

A lovely mix of science, creativity and practical learning, and now weโ€™re all ready to put our homemade viewers to the test tomorrow! โ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ“ฆ๐ŸŒ™ Letโ€™s just hope the weather stays clear! ๐Ÿคž

07/08/2026

Good morning from ๐ŸŒปโ˜€๏ธ Remember is open today until 4pm. Come and enjoy a delicious coffee and treat while admiring the recently opened Mexican sunflowers planted by our Navigators ๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒป

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148 Hillsborough Road
Lisburn
BT275QY

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