Lovely Greens, set up and run by Tanya Anderson, has two faces but both have the same aim, to showcase the Isle of Man as part of a sustainable picture. Lovely Greens Handmade focuses on creating products using natural materials, such as handmade soap and beeswax skincare, and also hold creative workshops. The other face to Lovely Greens aims to educate people primarily on growing organic food, natural soap making, and using herbs and plans in creative ways through their website and dedicated YouTube channel.
The ethos behind Lovely Greens is to live simply, grow your own, and make natural things. Through their content Lovely Greens show how to use local ingredients in food, soap and skincare as well as promoting the Island’s wild spaces for recreational purposes as well as a foraging resource which we need to protect.
Many of the features on Lovely Greens’ social media, website and YouTube channel focus on Manx Heritage, cultural sites and wild landscapes, with specific features on the old Fairy Bridge, a 3 day visit to the Calf of Man and foraging elderberries and wild garlic. Tanya has also recently written and published a book in the UK and USA that focuses on the Lovely Greens ethos and promotes the Isle of Man in part, including the plants growing at Cregneash.
To tie back in with the ethos behind Lovely Greens, Tanya believes that organic gardening and home-grown sustainable food production is the most positive environmental impact that each of us can make, no matter the size of space we have to work with. The idea that every mouthful matters and the more we cultivate and wild our spaced, the better the environment will be for both people and the land is a message that is shared at the heart of every idea.
Lovely Greens has a weekly (monthly through the winter) feature on Manx Radio where Tanya shares gardening tips with the local community. The features focus on regenerative and organic practices, seeds to sow now, ways to support bird life, hedgehogs and other Manx Wildlife at home. Each year, Lovely Greens organises a free Seed Swap and Plant Share. It is an event that connects gardeners across the Island and get seeds for free. Events like this reduce waste, promotes local growing and brings locals together in a positive and sustainable way.
