Join the Minster Gardening Team to learn how they make a home for nature and complete a seasonal gardening task.
Hands On with the Minster Gardeners is at York Minster on Thursday 8 October, a session where you can spend some time with the people who look after the gardens around the cathedral. It's not just a tour; you'll be working alongside them, so it's a chance to get your hands dirty rather than just watching from the path.
The morning is split into two parts. First, the Minster Gardening Team will talk you through how they make a home for nature within the cathedral grounds, explaining the choices they make to support local wildlife. After that, you'll get stuck into a seasonal gardening task—the kind of practical work that keeps the gardens going through the autumn. It's a good way to see how a city-centre garden is managed and to learn a few things you can take back to your own patch.
If you've spent any time around the Minster, you've probably noticed the greenery that softens the stone, but you rarely see the people who actually do the weeding, pruning, and planting. This puts you right in the middle of it, working with the team on the same ground they maintain year-round. It's a slow, tactile kind of morning, and if you've ever wondered what goes into keeping those spaces looking the way they do, this is the best way to find out.
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It all takes place at York Minster on 8 October. If you're interested, you can find more details on the Minster's 'What's On' page under the family section.
