A community garden on Ballymurphy Road in West Belfast hosted a day of workshops on Friday focused on flax and creating new food systems.

Seán Mac Bradaigh, coordinator of Gairdín an Phobail, said the 'Ó Phlanda go Pláta' (From Plant to Plate) event built on the garden's ongoing work. The day included workshops where people harvested seeds from the ground and gathered food.

Mac Bradaigh explained that the garden grew its own flax this year and is now harvesting the seeds to grow more next year and to produce linen.

The event was organised in collaboration with a group from The Kind Economy, who provided handmade food to those present. The group is made up of asylum seekers from Sudan, Palestine, Yemen, Syria and other countries.

Food was cooked on a clay oven, and the gathering was described as a work party for fun, friendship, conversation and food.

Mac Bradaigh highlighted the connection between the community and nature, noting that only 2% of native Irish woodland remains. He pointed to the garden's transformation since it was taken over five years ago, when it was an abandoned space.

The garden now grows food, distributes it within the community, and supplies food banks. Mac Bradaigh said people can make small changes themselves, and encouraged others to look at their own habits.