Chaplain Kevin Santucci said he hoped to one day see a community garden in every parish when speaking at the graduation ceremony for his free Grow, Eat and Save gardening workshops.

Mr Santucci donated his time and wisdom during the month of March to lead four classes organised by the Ministry of Health and Seniors.

Some 60 locals graduated from the course, which taught the basics of growing your own fruit and vegetables while saving money on grocery bills. Some of the classes were held in a city-centre location allocated by the Department of Parks, allowing students to put the skills they learnt to the test.

Mr Santucci told the class how important it was to share knowledge and how gardening could help to build communities.

“That is what it is all about,” he said. “Whatever knowledge we have in life, it’s important to share that knowledge with someone else. It has been a pleasure to share with you all.”

In saying that he left those present with some “tricks and tips” on a few select crops. Health minister Jeanne Atherden attended the graduation along with the partners who made the classes possible including representatives from the Department of Parks, MarketPlace, Belco, Aberfeldy Nurseries, Animal and Garden, and the National Youth Library.

Others who were instrumental to the success of the course included Mellonie Furbert, nutritionist for the Department of Health, Virloy Lewin, health co-ordinator, and Claire Jessey, entomologist for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Ms Atherden praised Mr Santucci and highlighted the benefits of the class to the community. She said: “In a recent poll, Bermuda was declared the most expensive place to live in the world. Imagine what it means to single parents who have to feed their children and for seniors having to live on fixed incomes. Food that is right in your back yard can really help and seeds are not expensive.

“The bottom line is it is not just about the talk — it is about the action. I want to thank chaplain Santucci for guiding and encouraging the 60-plus participants who can now start a garden even in a small space and make it thrive.”

Department of Health director Mr David Kendell spoke about the health benefits of growing your own food and encouraged more in the community to do so. He said: “I’m looking forward to you taking this back to you families and to your communities. I refer to the acronym Heal — health eating and active living. What you have been doing encompasses all of those aspects and that’s what we want everybody in Bermuda to be doing so if you can involve your children, your neighbours and parishes I would like to see that.

“The Bermudian diet is killing a lot of us so I think you are part of a new movement and we want to encourage that.”

The Grow, Eat and Save class promoting “Healthy People in Healthy Communities” was oversubscribed by about 40 people but it is hoped that a set of two classes will commence in August with a joint graduation.

Some of the students gave testimonies on what they got out of the class.

Virginia DeSilva said: “Planting our food is a great way to combat food insecurity.” She spoke about how she recently bought a single cauliflower head in a supermarket for $9.99 to show that “growing your own food makes a big difference”.

Cynthia Tacklyn described the classes as “enlightening” saying she had learnt to compost and organise her garden. Catherine Kennedy said she had learnt many new things like using fishing line to scare cats off your crops, using garlic as a natural pesticide and the importance of keeping your crops orderly.

Mellonie Furbert gave a breadfruit tree to chaplain Santucci, saying: “We would never have been able to do it without him. All of his excellent information has been a great resource for us.”

It is hoped that more sponsors can be attracted to support the course going forward to meet the large demand.

Mr Santucci added: “If there is any business who would like to partner with us in our community gardening class, we welcome your partnership. Or maybe you would like to sponsor five persons from your business and five from the community.”

• Anyone interested in signing up to future classes can do so by e-mailing nutrition@gov.bm