GROW
BFM is growing a greener, more resilient community—connecting people, land, and local food through gardens, allotments, and seed swaps. From volunteering and workshops to climate-smart growing and farm-to-fork initiatives, we make fresh, sustainable food accessible to everyone.
EDIBLE BRIDPORT
Food Growing Right On Your Doorstep
Vegetables, herbs, and fresh produce — grown organically around Bridport, free for anyone to pick. That's Edible Bridport. A simple idea with a big heart and big aspirations.
Pick Something Today
Our low-maintenance beds are dotted around town.
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Medical Centre – beds lining the pathway. Perennial fruit and herbs
Foundry Lane – Annual veg hung on the railings of a private garden.
Bus Station – four small planters. Annual salads, herbs and veg.
South Street – outside Naturalife. Mediterranean herbs.
Fishweir Lane, Bradpole - an edible verge maintained by the residents. Fruit, veg & herbs; annuals and perennials.
St Michael’s Trading Estate - Gundry lane end. Perennial fruit, veg and herbs
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Bridport Youth and Community Centre - planters with fruit, veg & herbs for BYCC activities
Beacon Community Church - large planter of veg used for drop-in lunches
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St Cecilia’s - long verge opposite St Cecilia’s allotments. We have started work developing the composting area and have plans to include raised planters for annual veg, a foragers garden of fruit & nut trees & bushes, a wildlife pond, a children’s garden plus a shelter with table & benches (subject to funding). All taking a no-dig approach.
Developing our ‘Fishweir’ model - finding ways to gain permissions for neighbours to create small community veg gardens on unused verges on their doorsteps.
How It Began
Edible Bridport, led by Rachel Millson and Sheri Ahmet, began in 2023 as We Dig No Dig, using no-dig growing methods to build healthy soil, increase yields and lock in carbon. In 2024 the project was renamed Edible Bridport to reflect its connection to the Incredible Edible movement and its vision of creating an edible landscape across the town. Supported by grants from Dorset Council and Bridport Town Council, the project now hosts monthly volunteer sessions where people meet to share plans, plants, seeds and skills, alongside occasional trips and workshops.
Rachel Millson
Sheri Ahmet
How It Works
We talk to everyone so we can learn from and support each other
We try to make it as easy as possible to get involved
We are working to take actions that are easy to scale up and help foster food security and community resilience
We Have Big Plans…
We are very grateful for the support of Bridport Town Council staff and councillors in the development of our sites. We are also seeking to make connections with Dorset Council to make the case for their adoption of the ‘Right to Grow’ framework as developed by the Incredible Edible organisation.
GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY
Copyright © Robert Golden Pictures
We're growing our volunteer team!
Help water the planters, tend the beds, or join one of our volunteer sessions.
No experience needed — just enthusiasm for positive change.
Get involved → ediblebridport@gmail.com
SEED & PLANT SWAPS
Bridport Food Matters helped run the longstanding annual Seed Swap in 2026, originally initiated by Eileen Haste and Lin Scrannage, which now forms part of a wider Seed Week alongside West Dorset Commons and the Community Allotment.
Together with the Seed Library, these initiatives promote the value of sowing heritage and locally saved seeds to strengthen the pool of open-pollinated varieties adapted to the local environment.
BFM also now organises the annual Plant Swap at the Charter Fair in May, a community event, where hundreds of plants grown by volunteers are shared, swapped, or taken home in exchange for a small donation.
ALLOTMENT AMBASSADORS
Being an Allotment Ambassador means being prepared to experiment with climate adaptive growing methods and produce, and sharing about this experience to inspire others.
You might be prolonging the growing season, protecting the soil from extreme weather or extended rainfall, or choosing to grow more resilient produce.
Our Allotment Ambassadors are:
Rachel Millson from the Symene Community Land Trust allotment
Lin Scrannage from the Bridport Cohousing community plot at Flaxhayes
Julie Penfold from the West Road allotments
Eileen Haste from the Flaxhayes allotments
Sarah Wilberforce from the Edible Garden at St Mary’s Primary School
Ian Bark from Walditch Allotments
Mandy Rathbone from the Skilling allotments
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a food security and climate change ‘Ambassador’ in every allotment in the Bridport area? Get in touch with Sarah via our contact form if you’d like to join in.
FEEDING BRIDPORT DIRECT
BFM is working with a small number of food producers to increase the direct local supply of food from farm to fork - increasing access to land for new entrant farmers and increasing the supply of horticultural produce to the Bridport Market.
Copyright © Ines Cavill
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