An urban farming project that is set to appear at the Chelsea Flower Show 2019 will be coming to Barking and Dagenham later this year.

“Gardening Will Save The World” sees IKEA team up with British designer Tom Dixon to collaborate on a project that encourages city-dwellers to grow food locally.

The cutting-edge garden will be divided into two levels, with the lower garden featuring natural edibles and the raised level containing trees, flowers and plants with medicinal, health and environmental benefits.

This will then be reconstructed over the summer at The Warehouse in Thames Road, Barking – Every One Every Day’s free ‘makerspace’ for borough residents.

Anyone wishing to get involved in the project will have two opportunities to do so. The first of these offers design enthusiasts the chance to meet Tom Dixon; the self-taught designer of the garden and former Head of Creative at Habitat.

He’ll be visiting The Warehouse on Friday 5 April from 1pm to 3pm, and people can attend the free session by registering on Eventbrite.

Or for a more hands on experience, why not volunteer to help host the initial exhibition at the Chelsea Flower Show? Anyone over 18 can sign up for a session from Tuesday 21 May to Saturday 25 May and will get free access to the show.

"It is a great chance to get a first glimpse of the installation before it heads to the borough this summer"

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement, is excited to see that such a prestigious installation will be heading for the borough:

“This project is an exciting collaboration between IKEA and Tom Dixon that focuses on a particularly interesting concept – encouraging people in urban areas to try growing their own food,” she said.

“I would encourage any residents with an interest in horticulture to take up the opportunity to help host the garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

“It is a great chance to get a first glimpse of the installation before it heads to the borough this summer.”