Keats Community Organics

We thought it might be nice for everyone who has given to the project and all the people checking out the page to know a little more about the team here at Keats Community Organics so I thought I'd get the ball rolling by introducing myself.

I met Jack and Chrissy whilst working on an truly inspirational project called Food from the Sky. A couple of Februarys back I was shown up onto the roof of a supermarket in Crouch End and couldn't believe what I found there, a market garden supplying fresh organic produce to the supermarket downstairs, composting food waste and upcycling materials from the car park. It made me dream of how the city's waste and neglacted spaces could be put to use and I spent the next nine months heading up there for two days every week to help out the head grower, Jack along with my fellow apprentice Chrissy.

I was looking to get more into organic food growing because my job in Mental Health Services, although profoundly enjoyable, involved a lot of desk time and I wanted to get my hands dirty more often. I'd been growing food for ages and it made me feel good so i figured it might have the same affect for others.

Skip forward to this growing season and I am working as Food and People Grower at Mindfood, a food growing enterprise in Amersham working with people from West London Mental Health Services. We work with a few groups a week, offering day-breaks from London where people can relax in the countryside, get some excercise and learn a bit about food growing. I also help run the Young Farmers Club at Vauxhall City Farm on weekends and the rest of the time get my hands dirty at home and down on the Keats Road site in Welling.

I've been training as a Horticultural Therapist and am getting a much clearer idea of the scope of food growing as a therepeutic activity. For me the most important thing about this project is going to be working with local people living with disabilities and their families. I'm really looking forward to helping create a program of Social and Therepeutic Horticulture at Keats Community Organics which will bring its participants as much calm happiness as food growing brings me.

Also looking forward to hugging more goats!

Hope to see you all soon

kay thanks bye