Help shape “A Common Paradise” and create a green future for:

  • COMMUNITY WELLBEING + CONVERSATION

  • BIODIVERSITY + NATURE

  • A NEW GENERATION OF GARDEN MAKERS

From just £30, you can unlock this inspiring future.

Donate here
A small outdoor patio with pink flowers, green plants, and integrated sitting areas with flower pots, situated beside a brick building with large windows.
A garden bed with white flowers, tall grasses, and a metal garden sprinkler in the background.

THE GARDEN STORY:

A COMMUNITY ENDEAVOUR & A NEW DESTINATION

The Exchange commissioned award-winning garden designer Sarah Price to reimagine what was then a disused space full of concrete and nettles. Inspired by the area’s industrial heritage, the changes in local climate, and The Exchange’s mission for community involvement and craft, a vision emerged.

In 2022, the external space was relandscaped to make it accessible, paths and fences were installed, and the ground prepared and planted by a team of incredible local residents alongside Sarah. Since then, the garden has been cared for by The Exchange’s Head Gardeners working alongside local volunteers and Sarah herself to nuture the garden towards maturity.

This collaboration has already created a truly breathtaking space, free to access and a tranquil oasis for all.  The garden now inspires visits from across Bexley, London and even as far afield as the US and Japan.  But this is just the beginning.

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A COMMON PARADISE

We are now looking to the garden’s future and have big ambitions for what this garden can become and can inspire, while safeguarding what has already been created.

We believe this garden can become a home for experimental horticulture and an exemplar for community green space.

We have grouped our ambitions under three key missions:

·      Community Wellbeing + Conversation

·      Biodiversity + Nature

·      A New Generation of Garden Makers

 

Underpinning all these ambitions is our commitment to keep the garden open and freely accessible to all. We believe world class gardens should be freely accessible to all to enjoy and engage with – help us ensure this garden remains at the heart of our community, a truly Common Paradise.

 

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A woman with blonde hair in a white dress with black and pink leopard print walking on a garden path, with two children exploring the garden among lush green plants and colorful flowers.

OUR AMBITIONS

  • The garden is already a space of tranquillity, away from a busy world, but there are many undeveloped opportunities for sitting within the garden amongst the plants, spaces for quiet conversation and personal wellbeing. The structure of the ambitious planting scheme is now firmly established and this highlights opportunities for Sarah and our Head Gardener to develop the planting through unexpected and exciting combinations, creating more sensory experiences through the seasons. And the greenhouse – with all its potential to become a hub for community propagation – has never been finished. 

    With your support, we will be able to:

    • Build and install furniture nestled within the planting, enabling quiet conversation and reflection throughout the year.

    • Enhance the planting scheme, creating increased tranquillity and wellbeing through sensory experience

    • Enable community propagation and plant sharing by completing our iconic greenhouse.

  • The garden is filled with thoughtful plant choices that respond to the varied conditions across the site. The front garden, for example, is sun-drenched in the summer but must withstand strong winds in the winter and occasional waterlogging after heavy rainfall. As the built and climatic environment continues to change around us the garden must respond to these changes developing in harmony with the environment.  With your help this is a challenge The Exchange, the community and Sarah Price can meet in a thoughtful way that not only secures the garden’s future but one that will inspire and inform the green spaces of the future.

    Biodiversity at The Exchange has flourished since initial planting, we are inundated with worms, bugs, birds and butterflies but there is more to do, and the next phase of the garden will be focusd on further establishing habitats for our local species in support of nature.

    With your help, we will be able to:

    • Create water features and ponds, creating new habitats for important species

    • Improve rainwater collection, helping us to reduce mains water use

    • Respond to changes in our built and climatic environment. With planned building works in the area, and continued challenges with climate change we need to ensure we can innovate.

  • Every week, a team of incredible Garden Volunteers come to help our Head Gardener with the garden’s maintenance. Our programme also regularly includes garden learning activities for families and adults. But the garden can do much more – we have the potential to deliver a more ambitious learning programme, inspiring a whole new generation of garden makers.

    Recently, we received a wonderful donation of botanical books that belonged to local resident Margot Godfrey. Drawing together our history as a library, the need for quiet space in the community, and an ambition for horticultural learning, we will turn our Mulberry Room into a Botanical Research Library & Reflection Space.

    With your support, we will be able to:

    • Design and deliver a Garden Learning Programme that will inspire a new generation of garden makers, from young people to young adults and beyond, in experimental horticulture

    • Welcome and support more Garden Volunteers where learning and community are embedded into the experience

    • Transform the Mulberry Room into a Botanical Research Library and Reflection Space.

An elderly man and woman are in a lush garden, closely examining the plants and flowers around them.
A family gardening outdoors with two children and two women, surrounded by plants and flowers, in a backyard.
A woman with braided hair, wearing sunglasses, seated at a garden table being photographed by two people, one holding a camera and the other using a smartphone, in front of a corrugated metal and brick wall.

BECOME A PATRON

From just £30, you can become a Patron

GIVING THIS GARDEN & ITS COMMUNITY THE FUTURE IT DESERVES.

We are asking for as much support as you are able to give. No matter how much you give, your contribution will help to achieve some incredible ambitions and this unique garden will forever be your garden too.

Explore the offers below, and make your donation now. Or, if you have any questions and would like to discuss, get in touch with us at: paradise@theexchangeerith.com

Yellow and white iris flowers blooming in a garden.

PLANT PATRON

£30

Donor benefits:

  • A digital certificate acknowledging your gift

  • Your name included in our Annual Review as a Plant Patron

  • Invitation to The Garden Party 2026

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A garden with yellow and white flowers surrounded by green foliage, with a house and fence visible in the background.

GARDEN PATRON

£100 - £349

Donor benefits:

  • A digital certificate acknowledging your gift

  • Your name included in our Annual Review as a Garden Patron

  • Your name embroidered into a botanical book that will be on display in the Mulberry Room

  • A limited edition print inspired by the garden, by artist Jeanine Woollard

  • An invitation to The Garden Party 2026

  • Annual benefits to The Exchange (1 year)

FIND OUT MORE + DONATE
A narrow garden pathway surrounded by lush green plants and shrubs.

GARDEN PATRON +

£350+

Donor benefits:

  • A digital certificate acknowledging your gift

  • Your name included in our Annual Review as a Garden Patron

  • Your name embroidered into a botanical book that will be on display in the Mulberry Room

  • A limited edition print inspired by the garden, by artist Jeanine Woollard

  • A choice from three TEX CRAFT gifts

  • An invitation to The Garden Party 2026

  • Annual benefits to The Exchange (1 year)

FIND OUT MORE + DONATE
A greenhouse with a curved roof and glass panels surrounded by lush green plants and trees in a garden.

THE GREENHOUSE PATRON

£5,000

Donor benefits:

  • Named Recognition for 5 years as Greenhouse Patron for project support (£1k per year for ongoing support)

  • Your name embroidered on to the Greenhouse Page of a botanical book that will be on display, embroidered by Kathy Hampson.

  • One complimentary hire of The Garden Room & Fern Terrace per year of support

  • Garden Patron+ Benefits (Annual Benefits and Party invitations every year of support)

FIND OUT MORE + DONATE
A man with glasses in a light blue shirt is picking leaves or fruit from a tree during the daytime.

THE MULBERRY BANK PATRON

£5,000

Donor benefits:

  • Named Recognition as Mulberry Bank Patron every year of support (£1k per year, minimum of 5 years)

  • Your name embroidered on to the Mulberry Tree page of a botanical book that will be on display, embroidered by Usha Vella.

  • One complimentary hire of The Garden Room & Fern Terrace per year of support

  • Garden Patron+ Benefits (Annual Benefits and Party invitations every year of support)

FIND OUT MORE + DONATE
A serene garden area with lush green plants, ferns, and trees. There are metal chairs and small tables on a light-colored gravel surface, with a staircase leading up to a higher level enclosed by a metal railing. A tall plant or small tree is growing near the stairs, and a stone stump is on the ground nearby.

THE FERN COURTYARD GARDEN PATRON

£5,000

Donor benefits:

  • All recognition previously mentioned

  • Named Recognition as Fern Yard Garden Patron every year of support (£1k per year, minimum of 5 years)

  • Your name embroidered on to the Fern Page of a botanical book that will be on display, embroidered by Carole Jeffrys.

  • One complimentary hire of The Garden Room & Fern Terrace per year of support

FIND OUT MORE + DONATE
A lush garden pathway lined with various flowering plants, trees, and shrubs, with a small outdoor table and stools on a brick patio to the right.

THE WOODLAND GARDEN PATRON

£10,000

Donor benefits:

  • All recognition previously mentioned

  • Named Recognition as Woodland Garden Patron every year of support (£2,000 per year, minimum of 5 years)

  • Your name embroidered on to the Rose Page of a botanical book that will be on display, embroidered by Jocelyn Erskine.

  • One complimentary hire of The Garden Room & Fern Terrace per year of support

FIND OUT MORE + DONATE
A narrow garden path surrounded by various green plants and shrubs.

THE DRY GARDEN PATRON

£7,500

Donor benefits:

  • Named Recognition as Dry Garden Patron every year of support (£1,500 per year, minimum of 5 years)

  • Your name embroidered on to the Iris Benton Susan page of a botanical book that will be on display, embroidered by Angela Strong.

  • One complimentary hire of The Garden Room & Fern Terrace per year of support

  • Garden Patron+ Benefits (Annual Benefits and Party invitations every year of support)

FIND OUT MORE + DONATE
A sidewalk leading through a lush garden area with a sign that reads 'the exchange entry this way' and a small table and chair in the background.

THE PINE TERRACE PATRON

£5,000

Donor benefits:

  • All recognition previously mentioned

  • Named Recognition as Pine Terrace Patron every year of support (£1k per year, minimum of 5 years)

  • Your name embroidered on to the Pine Terrace Page of a botanical book that will be on display, embroidered by Mandy Johnson.

  • One complimentary hire of The Garden Room & Fern Terrace per year of support

FIND OUT MORE + DONATE

EXPLORE JUST A FEW OF OUR IMAGES THAT SHOW HOW THE GARDEN WAS CREATED:

A brick house covered partially by green ivy, surrounded by lush green trees and plants in a garden setting.
People working on a community garden or outdoor planting project beside a brick building during sunny weather.
A community garden with potted plants along a fence, some people working, and trees in the background.
People gardening in a backyard, planting and tending to various plants and flowers in soil beds.
People planting and tending to a garden on a sandy and paved outdoor area, with potted plants, shrubs, and gardening tools visible.
People working in a garden near a brick building on a sunny day
Two smiling men standing outdoors next to a metal fence and greenery, posing playfully for the camera.
Two people standing in a small garden or park area with young plants, fencing, and trees in the background, on a sunny day.
People planting and gardening in a landscaped outdoor area with a dirt pathway, plants, and gardening tools.
A potted aloe vera plant and a flowering shrub with daisies are in a garden bed next to a brick wall and a wooden door.
A flatbed truck loaded with potted plants, some wrapped in plastic, parked outdoors near a building with windows and trees.
A backyard garden with trees, shrubs, and flower beds along a brick building. A dirt pathway winds through the garden, with outdoor tools and construction supplies visible.
Urban backyard garden with young plants, trees, a brick pathway, and a black metal fence, with apartment buildings and street in the background.
Two women planting flowers and shrubs in a garden bed, working together with gardening tools and gloves, surrounded by greenery and trees.
A brick building with wooden trim and a door, a dirt path, and a small garden with trees and young plants along a fence.
People working at a community bookstore in an outdoor alley, with one person sitting on a chair sorting items and another standing. A chalkboard sign invites social distancing and safety measures for the store.
A small backyard garden with young plants and trees, a gravel pathway, a brick building wall, and a metal fence with lush green trees and blue sky in the background.
Multiple black crates filled with various green plants and some purple flowering plants, arranged on a wooden floor.
A small garden with a dirt path winding around a large tree in the center. There are young plants and flowers along the edges of the garden beds, and a metal fence surrounds the area. In the background, there are trees and some structures, with a par
People planting and tending to young trees in a small urban garden near a metal fence on a sunny day.
People planting flowers and working in a garden under a large tree in a park, with a fence and buildings in the background.
A backyard garden with scattered plant beds, a dirt path, a white picket fence, and tall trees under a partly cloudy sky.
A backyard garden with a dirt path, green plants, and flowers, next to a brick building, with a large tree and a person in the distance.
A garden area with young plants and trees, surrounded by a fence and trees, with construction materials and tools such as a wheelbarrow, watering can, and paving stones, and a layered brick retaining wall in the background.
A garden with young plants growing in dark soil, enclosed by a green metal fence, with trees and foliage in the background under a blue sky.
A man with curly hair planting a bush in a small garden area with prescribed soil, black buckets, and potted plants, enclosed by a brick and concrete wall.
Nursery or garden yard with various potted plants, including herbs, shrubs, and flowering plants, arranged on dirt ground and along a fence, with a brick building and a cityscape in the background.
A sidewalk with bushes and plants next to a red brick building with multiple windows. A modern white building is visible in the background under a bright blue sky with some clouds.
People working together on a gardening project in a small urban backyard, planting and tending to plants along a paved walkway, with a fence and a building in the background.
A backyard garden with a large tree in the center, plant beds along the edges, and a dirt walking path winding around the tree, enclosed by a mix of metal and wooden fences, with green trees and a building in the background.
Two people standing outdoors near a newly planted tree, giving thumbs up. One is a woman with dark hair tied back wearing a black t-shirt and pants, and the other is an older man with gray hair wearing a blue and gray jacket and work gloves. The back
Potted plants and flowers arranged on the ground in gardening area with a man wearing a black t-shirt in the background near a fenced garden bed.
Five potted trees and bushes on a sidewalk with dense green trees in the background.
A small outdoor garden with potted plants arranged in a semi-circle on gravel, next to a stone building with barred windows, and a dirt slope behind the plants.
Outdoor courtyard with brick walkway, small potted plants, leafless trees, and a fence with some buildings and parked cars in the background.
A flatbed truck parked on a street, carrying a black metal frame structure, with a building and a traffic sign indicating bicycles nearby.
People working on a truck inside a fenced outdoor area with a slide, trees, and a high-rise building in the background.
Group of people socializing outdoors in a backyard garden with trees, plants, and a brick patio, during daytime.
People planting flowers and gardening outside a building with outdoor seating
Two people working in a garden near a greenhouse, one woman holding gardening tools and a man in the background, with potted plants and gardening supplies nearby.
Two women are crouching and working together in a garden with flowers and greenery, smiling at the camera.
A person wearing jeans, boots, and a gray jacket is planting or tending to green plants in a cardboard box outdoors. There are many small pots with soil and plants behind them.
Three elderly men working in a garden on a sunny day. One man is standing near a garden bed, another is holding a gardening tool while walking, and the third is at the back holding a plant or garden tool. There is a wheelbarrow in the middle of the g
A person wearing a checkered shirt with dark hair tied back, crouching or kneeling among tall green plants in a garden.
A woman in a light green shirt is gardening among tall plants with brown seed heads and large green leaves.
An elderly woman tending to a garden with various green plants and flowers, with stick fencing and trellis in the background.
A person with gray hair wearing a blue and white striped jacket is gardening among lush green plants and tall stalks in a garden enclosed by a metal fence.
People gardening in a lush green outdoor garden, trimming plants and tending to the garden beds.