How a medical school rebel found a new passion and became a Brierley Hill stalwart

All in all, Dr Ken Smith has taken a colourful route to become a stalwart of Brierley Hill.

Ken is a Geordie who is the driving force behind Hawbush Community Gardens (HCG) in Brierley Hill.

A retired soil scientist (not the most glamorous of titles) he is originally from Newcastle, and took a large patch of neglected urban land in the middle of a housing estate and transformed it into an oasis for community use.

Now chair of the HCG, Ken was inspired to do something with the four-acre plot, off Bull Lane and between Hawbush Primary School and the canal, when helping at the Brierley Hill Project food bank.

He saw that recipients could benefit from fresh, homegrown food, so on his own picked up his shovel and started to dig at the overgrown site with a view to supplying fresh produce for the food bank.

By 2015, other volunteers dug in and transformed the wilderness into a vibrant community hub.

It began by offering plots to grow vegetables, which now provide food for a food bank, and developed into a wonderful environment where it offers therapy for those with mental and anxiety issues.

There are classes in growing fruit and vegetables, horticulture, woodwork, social art, forest crafts and the gardens are a base for regeneration projects.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, volunteers installed an art project that helped showcase different cultures and it has been a catalyst for community cohesion, with 770 group visits and regular use by many local groups.

Ken is an active 72-year-old whose maturity and wisdom bely his wilder youth. His path to the area came via a number of jobs including working for the then Ministry of Agriculture and research and consultancy in his chosen field.

Now living in Dudley, he originally attended medical school in Newcastle, but was thrown off the course because of his wild behaviour.

"I was a bit of an idiot at medical school and they got fed up and threw me out. I was young and acting like a bit of a moron," said Ken.

"But luckily one of the medical staff was able to point me in the direction of an agriculture course at Newcastle University, which led to an honours degree in soil sciences.

"I found my Soils and Agriculture studies fascinating and, in contrast to my time at medical school, I was able to commit to the necessary effort, with enjoyment.

“I particularly enjoyed the opportunity for practical application of my soils studies which led me into summer holiday working on farms in Bedfordshire and Somerset.”

Later on, when working with a Japanese professor, he was encouraged to take his PhD at the Japanese Rakuno Gakuen University, in Hokkaido, where his thesis was on improving the utilisation of livestock manures and environmental impacts.

Ken's initial involvement with charity work was with a church-based community support project with Amblecote Community Church, (where he has been involved for 35 years), aimed at helping struggling families in an area of high unemployment, social deprivation, and antisocial behaviour.

It also helped with debt issues, crisis management, CVs, job applications and the food bank.

The work at HCG developed significantly with links to different groups, including local schools with a gardening club, soils workshops, lessons on growing and visits to the gardens; special needs students with sensory garden projects; Dudley Youth Offenders Service and family support referrals from social services.

Ken is rightly proud of what the garden offers and last year HCG won a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

At the time he said the award had come out of the blue, but was a great boost for the charity and could only help with future funding.

He added: "There's been a lot of work done, particularly over the last two or three years, and the award is a nice encouragement to see and a great boost for all the volunteers and all their hard work.

"I think it will help us in the future when we are applying for funding and is a wonderful recognition of our work, as well as the fact that it can help to attract other groups to join us.

When asked to list what makes the job so interesting Ken said it was the constant challenge of getting out of his comfort zone, the joy and privilege of meeting people in poverty, some with crushing problems, and being able to help.

He is also happy that, even after his retirement and a hip replacement, his skills and soils knowledge can still make a difference.

Reflecting on his early days and where he is now, Ken said: “It’s not a disaster if you make a wrong decision. You can regroup and find satisfaction in doing something you enjoy.”

Hawbush Community Gardens has certainly benefited from that philosophy.