Herbs for Menstrual Health New Year workshop With Red Rebel Collective

Saturday 4th January 1 -3pm

A practical and informative workshop about how herbs can support all phases of your menstrual cycle, helping you to tune in to your body’s natural rhythms and feel deeper connected to our plant allies. This is an opportunity to learn practical, natural self-care tips and start your year with gentle commitment to improving your wellbeing. This workshop is open to anyone interested in improving their menstrual health and learning supportive practices for cyclical wellness.

Fireside Singing Circle with Amy

Saturday 11th January 1 -3pm

Join us for some simple Winter songs around the fire at windmill community gardens. Singing is a proven way to improve mood, reduce stress, sooth your nervous system and find connection with yourself, others and the nature around you.
No experience of singing or music making is needed. All songs and harmonies are taught by ear, line by line with call and response at a comfortable pace until everyone knows them by heart.

All ages welcome
Amy facilitates natural voice singing circles and groups, sharing songs in the oral tradition. She is dedicated to supporting everyone to sing, not for performance or perfection, but for enjoyment and feeling, just as humans have always done.

Necrobotany: Plant Hunting in Winter

Wednesday 15th January 10 – 12pm

Necrobotany at the Windmill Plant Hunting in Winter -Studying this liminal phase of decay and renewal.

Join RHS and Great Dixter-trained gardener and garden designer Lauren Ware for a morning of discovery.
This session will offer an up-close look at how alive plants can be when they’re dead! Witness the intricate and ephemeral beauty of wildflower and vegetable seedheads, learn about the important roles they play in year-round ecosystem health, unveil ancient plant legends, and learn what you can craft and consume even in these sleeping seasons!
We are growing familiar with how beneficial the sensory, mindful appreciation of plants can be in the sun-filled months, but we often miss the magic that happens in the winter. This session offers an invitation to observe and participate in winter’s renewing decay, to get outside in the freshest of air, and to connect more deeply with the nature that is always in transformation
around us.

Hot refreshments provided, do wrap up warm and wear cosy and sensible footwear!

Winter Pruning Workshop with Lauren

Wednesday 29th January 10 – 12 pm

Winter tree & shrub pruning

Join RHS and Great Dixter-trained gardener and garden designer Lauren Ware for an engaging and hands-on workshop all about winter pruning! Accessible for gardeners of all experience levels, this session will guide you through the essential steps of pruning fruit trees like apples and pears, as well as other common trees in UK gardens and allotments, to encourage healthy growth and bountiful harvests. We’ll also explore the winter care of edible shrubs such as gooseberries, currants, and raspberries, and ornamentals like roses, discussing the best pruning techniques and timing to set them up for success in the growing season ahead.

During the workshop, you’ll learn which trees and shrubs to prune in late winter, the tools you’ll need (and how to care for them), and the techniques to use for different plants. We’ll also cover how to spot and address signs of pests, diseases, or structural weaknesses while your plants are bare, giving you a head start on spring garden health. Whether you’re managing an allotment or tending your backyard, this session will empower you with practical skills to keep your garden thriving. Book your spot now to get your garden ready for the season!

Imbolc Circle with Cleopatra Yoga

Saturday 1st February 1 -3pm

Lily Cleo runs Cleopatra Yoga as a Margate based yoga teacher who is passionate about inclusive classes for all bodies. She specialises in womxn’s health, fertility, menopause and holistic health.

Imbolc is an ancient Celtic holiday that marks the first day of Spring.

If you look closely, signs of new life are all around us after the dark of winter – the word Imbolc literally means “in the belly” showing that growth is starting everywhere. It offers the promise of renewal, of yet-untapped potential, and great hope.

We will come together in a beautiful womxn’s circle to celebrate this time, focusing on positive changes we can make in our lives to nourish us through Spring. We will then enjoy some meditative Imbolc crafts, alongside warming cacao, leaving with renewed energy and excitement for the season. We may be both indoors and out so dress for the weather, and feel free to bring a snuggly blanket and something special to represent your hopes in our Imbolc circle.

Fireside Singing Circle with Amy

Saturday 8th February 1 -3pm

Join us for some simple Winter songs around the fire at windmill community gardens. Singing is a proven way to improve mood, reduce stress, sooth your nervous system and find connection with yourself, others and the nature around you.
No experience of singing or music making is needed. All songs and harmonies are taught by ear, line by line with call and response at a comfortable pace until everyone knows them by heart.

All ages welcome
Amy facilitates natural voice singing circles and groups, sharing songs in the oral tradition. She is dedicated to supporting everyone to sing, not for performance or perfection, but for enjoyment and feeling, just as humans have always done.

Join Steph for Bug Week

Explore BUG WEEK with us at the Windmill Community Gardens Margate, this is part of a series of workshops run during half term aimed at all ages! Bring a friend and enjoy learning all about bugs.

February Half Term! Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10-12am

Monday: Fliers

Find out all about our flying friends; what pollination really means, life cycles, how they help us, what these guys love to munch on, how to help a found and downed bee, learn about neutralising stings all through games and activities. Create a beautiful willow and tissue paper dragonfly to take home. Go home buzzing with new fun facts to share!

Wednesday: Segments and legments – Woodlice, centipedes, millipedes and friends.

Look at these many legged guys in detail and find out how to tell the difference, where to find them, what they like to eat and how they help us. Play spot the centipede game! Find out about a furry house centipede and loads more. Take home a wiggly segmented minibeast of your own creation.

Thursday: Ticklers – spiders and mites, scorpions!

Let’s look in depth at these lovely household friends! At the Food chain, and why they are not an insect!! At their body parts, their prey and predation (some eat birds!!) Fun facts delivered in a free play, no pressure way with games and activities. Find out about the Kentish scorpion, Web making…how and why! When we see house spiders and why they get stuck in the bath… and conkers…do they really work? Make a woven web, with a conker spider friend. You’ll be tickled pink!

Friday: Sticklers – ear wigs, stick insects, shield bugs and other friends.

Come along and find out all about camouflage, hiding, smells and protection!  Have a close look at some of these garden guys and learn fascinating facts as we play games and complete activities!

Make a mini bug house to take home with recycled and found materials for earwigs in trees.

Winter Dwellbeing retreat

Tuesday 18th February 1 – 3 pm

Artist, writer and designer, Sunset watcher, cloud spotter, stargazer and mild wild swimmer. Clare’s passion is to connect people to place, to their homes, by encouraging them to ‘go out every day into nature and feed their soul’.

Clare creates a number of evolving creative and wellbeing retreat experiences that we can relax into and recharge ourselves from. To put it simply, a Dwellbeing retreat is a chance to give yourself time and space to connect to nature, your creativity and in community. Clare’s retreats aim to create a cosy, nurturing space in which we can relax, recharge and refresh. 

This half day Dwellbeing retreat will be a chance to connect to the Gardens, to the local natural environment and relax while being guided to observe and interact with the beauty of nature. This will be the first in a series of retreats, following the seasons so that you can connect with the gardens as it changes through the year.

Gardening out of winter and into spring with Lauren Ware.

Wednesday 26th February 10 – 12 pm

“Preparing your garden for Spring”

As winter fades, it’s time to prepare your garden, allotment, or container plants for the growing season ahead! Led by RHS and Great Dixter-trained gardener and garden designer Lauren Ware, this workshop will guide you through essential late-February tasks that set the stage for a productive and thriving spring. We’ll cover pruning winter-fruiting or ornamental shrubs, checking for pests and diseases, observing and managing wildlife habitats, and key steps to nurture your soil’s health and biodiversity. From revitalizing your soil with organic matter to managing overwintered plants, you’ll learn practical techniques to support a vibrant and resilient garden.

We’ll also explore time-saving tips like which seeds to start indoors or preparing beds for direct sowing. Plus, discover small but impactful tasks that make spring gardening smoother and more enjoyable. Whether you’re growing vegetables, caring for perennials, or tending potted plants, this workshop is packed with advice to make the most of this transitional season. Join us for an inspiring afternoon of learning and planning!