As of: April 3, 2024, 11:02 a.m
By: Andrea Gräpel
Comments
Press
Split
Nadine Mattern, chairwoman of the Breitbrunn Horticultural Association.� © private
The Breitbrunn Horticultural Association would like to connect generations through garden sponsorships. Chairwoman Nadine Mattern is sure: This has potential and plenty of room for synergy effects.
Breitbrunn
– Nadine Mattern (42) is the mother of two children aged ten and six. Both are enthusiastic “dirt sparrows”. This is the name of the children and youth group in the Breitbrunn Horticultural Association. Nadine Mattern herself replaced Heidi Körner as chairwoman of the association just last year. “Slowly I got to know the members and realized that there were older people among them who were struggling. On the other hand, there are the 'dirty sparrows' who only meet every two weeks but are enthusiastic about it. “It would be so nice if there were options in the meantime,” says the 42-year-old. So she came up with the idea of perhaps bringing the generations together through sponsorships in order to better exploit potential: the knowledge of older people that can be passed on. And the enthusiasm and drive of the children and their families, who could, for example, help older people with a fun leaf raking activity or take care of a flower bed. Nadine Mattern has many ideas. Last but not least, two plant troughs provided by the community are now available to gardeners on the community meadow on Heimgartenstrasse, which they want to plant.
Breitbrunner by choice is a trained graphic designer, fashion designer and has also been a wildlife educator for two years. “I did an apprenticeship in the Allgäu,” she says. “That's what really suits me.” At the “Dagehen hi” festival in the House of Bavarian Agriculture last year, for example, she was the one who designed the children's festival area. Nadine Mattern wants children to grow up closer to nature than on cell phones or in front of the computer. She only has a small garden, on a slope and with lots of snails and blackberries. “We turned it into a play garden, but with a raised bed,” she says. Through the work of the “dirty sparrows” she knows that her children also want to know a lot more about gardening than just playing in it. “About medicinal herbs, for example.”
Nadine Mattern presented her idea at the most recent annual meeting. Five young families and seven older members immediately signed up to take part in the garden sponsorship. “I’m thrilled that members have signed up at all,” says the Breitbrunner woman happily. “There could be more.”
She wants to bring everyone together at a kick-off event and explain her idea in more detail. Until then, the chairwoman of the Breitbrunn Horticultural Association is happy to accept further applications for garden sponsorships in the Herrschinger district. This can be done, for example, by email to vorstand@gartenbauverein-breitbrunn.de.