'Planting hope for a brighter future'
Who are we?
It all started with a comment on Facebook! The closure of other community gardening/supported employment groups had created a void in many lives and the need for a project of this kind soon become apparent by the interest shown by those wishing to join and volunteer with us.
We are currently a small but diverse collection of people from the Bideford area with a vision to be part of a positive change in the community. We aim to be responsive to the needs of both our team of supporters and the local community (especially the most vulnerable). Our ethos is to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, and to recognise that we all have different skills and knowledge to share.
What do we want to achieve?
Bideford and the wider Torridge area are beautiful but have significant pockets of social deprivation. We wish to address food poverty and associated poor health and also tackle social isolation and loneliness, developing friendship and trust through working towards a common goal.
We currently have the use of a small allotment at Bideford Station (overseen by Bideford Sustainability Group) and are reaching out to other people/organisations in Torridge who may have under-used land, suitable for growing predominantly food crops. We intend to do this in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, using organic methods. We are also keen to be actively involved in conservation projects in the area. Gardening (particularly as a shared, collaborative activity) has been shown to improve both mental and physical health. Produce would be shared by our volunteers/supporters and excess will be donated to local organisations to encourage healthy eating. We are collating ideas to raise funds to pay for materials/consumables initially – this could be through the sale of plants, production of related items (e.g. bird/bug/hedgehog boxes, upcycled plant containers/garden accessories etc.) and possibly through producing other merchandise.
However, we desperately need some start-up funding to pay for materials and initial costs such as insurance, safeguarding (DBS for new volunteers) and becoming incorporated as a CIC.
We want to empower people of all abilities to discover their strengths; develop skills for life and work; have a purposeful impact on the community and feel they are making positive contribution. We wish to encourage people to share their own skills and knowledge with peer mentoring/buddying but also to give opportunities for those who are interested to set their own targets for personal development. We also intend to enable people to access additional training opportunities for further skills development (through local adult education providers and online provision).
Although we will initially depend on volunteers, we do also have a longer-term vision for providing some supported employment. We are particularly mindful of those with hidden disabilities and/or those who fall outside the current provision for help but who have difficulties obtaining/sustaining meaningful employment.
We would be very grateful for any donation (however small) to help us to launch (or perhaps sow and grow?!) our project. If you are in the Torridge area and have time and skills you could offer us, please get in touch. We generally meet up on Wednesdays at 12.30pm in Bideford Library (as part of the Work Club). If you prefer, you could email [email protected] or [email protected] for more information. Thank you!