Kate’s Place

Year of Project: 2020

Location: Florence Park, Oxford

Collaborators: Flo’s the Place in the Park, Oxford City Council

Stream: NatureScape

The Story

Originally transformed into a nature-rich community space called NaturEscape in 2020, this site was a former mini-golf area that had fallen into disrepair, was full of waste, low in biodiversity, and unused by the local community. The project was founded through a partnership led by The Nature Effect CIC, Flo’s the Place in the Park, the City Council, and local residents.

In 2023, following the sudden death of Kate Jury, a much-loved local garden designer, activist, and director of The Nature Effect CIC, the site was renamed Kate’s Place. Kate was the main designer and vision holder for the project and has left a legacy of transformative work in East Oxford, including projects with young asylum seekers at Barracks Lane Community Garden and collaborations with the Farmers Market.

Impact

Kate’s Place is located within a much-loved urban park, serving a culturally diverse community with both economic and social challenges alongside a thriving entrepreneurial spirit. The exploratory garden focuses on wildflowers, edible foraging, and ecological diversity, complementing other areas of the park.

Features include:

  • Rainwater harvesting and native hedging

  • Bee- and insect-friendly planting

  • A nature-rich pond

  • Natural screening along the tennis courts

  • Dog-free zones, as requested by many families

The site is stewarded through programmes that promote social cohesion, communication, and confidence-building, while reducing anxiety. Kate’s Place continues to grow and develop through generous donations from friends and family, and now hosts regular community days through NatureConnect, bringing people together through nature-based activities and shared stewardship.

A fenced-off area with a small gate surrounded by fallen leaves and a grassy field in the background, with cars parked beyond and trees with no leaves.
Four people planting a small tree in a grassy area next to a tennis court, with two women crouching and two men sitting nearby, during overcast weather.
A backyard garden with lush green grass, various trees, and blooming pink and white flowers on a small tree in the foreground. A wooden bench is partially visible in front of the tree. The sky is partly cloudy.
A garden or park pathway with a decorative archway covered in vines and surrounded by green trees and grass.
A young child with blonde hair wearing a yellow sweater, dark pants, and sneakers crouches on a wooden platform near a small pond with green algae. The pond is surrounded by rocks and plants, and a sign that says 'Water' is attached to a small tree.
Two children, one with blonde hair wearing a pink coat and colorful rain boots and the other with brown hair wearing a yellow jacket, are standing outdoors by a wooden table with pots and utensils, surrounded by green foliage and fallen leaves.

Kates Garden Fund

Kate’s Garden Fund was set up in May 2024 in memory of Kate Jury, who did so much for the development of Barracks Lane Garden, The NaturEscape and many other community greenspace projects near her home in East Oxford.

The new Kate’s Garden Fund will enable friends to donate regular amounts to ensure the stewardship, care and sustainability of Kate’s Place. The fund will also be able to receive gift aid from taxpaying donors and create capacity for fundraising through trusts and foundations or grants.

There is increasing evidence of the benefits of Green Social Prescribing for wellbeing and for subsequent savings to the NHS. Individual and community wellbeing is supported through being outdoors in so many ways. The Fund will enable socially prescribed activities at Barracks Lane Community Garden and other community locations to grow.