Meet Danmore, our new Green Engagement Lead!
We’re delighted to welcome Danmore to the Mafwa Theatre team as our new Green Engagement Lead!
Since late March, he’s been leading our weekly Lincoln Greeners gardening sessions in Leeds. With over 15 years of experience working with marginalised communities in Zimbabwe and the UK, Danmore believes in the power of gardening to foster connection, challenge stigmas, and support wellbeing. We caught up with him to learn more about his journey, what drew him to this role, and how his past experiences shape his work today.
"I've witnessed the transformative
power of gardening and nature”
Tell us a bit about yourself. What drew you to this role?
I’m attracted to gardening and nature because I’ve witnessed their transformative power in terms of social cohesion and well-being.
At the Organisation of HIV Positive African Men (OPAM) in London, I introduced a gardening project that helped reduce prejudices - challenging HIV stigma, homophobia, and negative attitudes towards migrants. I’m excited to bring the lessons I learnt there to Lincoln Greeners!
What excites you most about working with Lincoln Greeners?
I share the Lincoln Greeners’ passion for harnessing gardening and nature to improve wellbeing. With close to 15 years’ experience working on community projects in the UK and Zimbabwe, I’ve seen how powerful these shared outdoor spaces can be for fostering connection and belonging.
“I’ve seen how powerful these shared
outdoor spaces can be for
fostering connection and belonging.”
How has nature featured in your work with communities in the past?
I’ve experienced the regenerative power of gardening and nature in terms of well-being and making places better.
When I worked at Hope Gate as the Family Learning Coordinator, I used nature to foster bonding among HIV positive parents and their children. I organised treasure hunts in parks and forests across West London, giving families the opportunity to spend quality time together outdoors while setting goals and achieving them as a unit.
How has your international experience shaped your approach to community work?
I worked for Marie Stopes International in London as a Regional HIV Advisor. In that role, I supported programmes in Tanzania and Kenya that aimed to reduce the health inequalities experienced by underprivileged communities.
My community work over the years earned me a Fellowship of the RSA. I’m also an Economic Regeneration Practitioner and a qualified member of the Institute of Economic Development (UK).
These experiences have strengthened my belief that well-being should be approached holistically by creating inclusive spaces that support community resilience and dignity.
“Green spaces like this can be
places of rest,
providing a sense of stability
for people who have been
on the move for a long time”
Why do you think spaces like Roxby Community Garden matter?
These spaces promote social interaction, a sense of belonging, and well-being. But Lincoln Greeners and the Roxby Community Garden offer something deeper.
For refugees and asylum seekers, green spaces like this can be places of rest, providing a sense of stability for people who have been on the move for a long time.
The garden becomes a new repository of passion, culture, and craft, especially for people whose cultural roots and creative traditions are tied to distant lands and distant pasts that may no longer be physically accessible.