Bridport Plant Swap has been reinvigorated and will be held on Saturday, May 20, allowing local gardeners together to share the bounty of their spring sowings.

The event will be held at Bridport Community Shed from 10am to 12noon on Saturday, May 20, when the town is expected to be busy for the Bridport Community Charter Fair, market and the first Bridport Colour Walk of the year.

Bridport Plant Swap was originally organised by the late Jude Hopkins of Plan B – the local group founded to support local ecological endeavours – and was previously been held in Bucky Doo Square, but this year will be held at Bridport Community Shed.

It will follow on from the Seed Swap held in January that has been taking place in Bridport for the past 10 years. 

The plant swap has this year been reinvigorated and relaunched by Debbie Smith, previously of Watercleaves Pre-school and now central to the team organising the children's tent at the Bridport Food Festival, and Eileen Haste, trustee of the Community Shed and one of the seed swap organisers.

Gardeners and allotment holders can re-home surplus seedlings and plants they have grown by bringing them to the plant swap, where they will also be able to pick up plants they may not have thought to grow before, and to help each other out. 

These events provide a valuable forum for sharing knowledge on local growing conditions and varieties that thrive well. Gardeners can celebrate their successes and commiserate with one another on shared challenges.

Debbie sad: "We're really looking forward to bringing the plant swap back to Bridport's gardening calendar and in memory of Jude too, who was so proactive in initiating local gardening projects.

"The theme of the food festival this year is 'think local' and the children's tent is focused on 'who shares wins'. The plant swap is a wonderful example of much we can all benefit if we aim to share our skills and experiences."

The event is being supported by Bridport Food Matters, a local umbrella organisation which aims to provide information on food matters in the Bridport area, supporting people to attain food equality and environmental resilience. You can find out more at www.bridportfoodmatters.net

Visitors to the event will be able to bring a plant or seedlings to swap, or simply come along and take plants in exchange for a donation to Bridport Community Shed and Bridport Food Matters. 

In addition, Sustainable Bridport's Edible Garden projects that run vegetable gardens at both St Mary's Primary School and Bridport Primary School will hold a stall selling an abundance of plants to raise funds for their projects.

To find the Community Shed, visit www.bridportcommunityshed.org.uk for directions.