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Growing Works Updates…

Growing Works BUD – working to combat isolation during lockdown

With the pandemic requiring us all to distance from each other, it’s been a difficult year resulting in detrimental effects on our personal feelings of wellbeing. As with so many things these effects have been hardest on those already facing disadvantage through illness, social isolation, and economic hardship.

Growing Works have long championed the benefits of therapeutic outdoor activity. Even gentle exercise outdoors can boost mood, increase energy levels, and lower blood pressure among many other positive outcomes. The predictable and cyclical nature of the natural world can provide some normality and hope when so much seems uncertain.

      “A diversion from the constant reminders of Covid”

With support from the Ward Councillors and repeat funders like Community Learning Works, Growing Works have continued to promote and provide outdoor activity throughout 2020.  The community gardens at Almondbury and Dalton have flourished with the help of local volunteers.  These have been a positive focus in communities, a place to go for exercise, a beautiful sight to lift the spirits, and even to share the harvest! For many of us our gardens became a sanctuary during lockdown and hopefully for those without gardens, community spaces can offer the same.

      “I like to visit after a stressful day at work – It’s quiet and relaxing”

The BUD project also provides distanced gardening sessions at Wakefield Road allotments.  Thanks again to the generous support of our funders we have seen people benefit greatly from the continued sense of community and connection, of working together.  Maintaining these positive relationships is vitally important in combatting isolation.  Growing Works will continue to provide its services in a Covid safe manner and working within the guidelines set out by the Government.

        “I feel more confident after attending a session

               “I love the environment and the kind, skilled, informative, non-judgemental workers”

 

Really Easy Fundraising!

you can help us help others as you do your weekly shop or plan ahead for Christmas with no extra cost!

When you shop through Amazon Smile or Easy Fundraising you can choose Growing Works and we’ll receive donations – it’s a great way to support us!  Take a look at the links below for information on how to register with Easy Fundraising and Amazon or if you have an existing account how to switch to Amazon Smile…

Easy fundraising

Amazon smile

New Covid-19 Guidance

Following the release of new government guidelines on social gatherings we wanted to reassure you that Growing Works will continue to provide small group sessions as planned under the exemption for organised outdoor physical activity.

The exemptions that apply include

  • for work, voluntary and charitable services
  • for you or someone else to avoid illness, injury or harm
  • organised indoor and outdoor physical activity and exercise…

for the full list and current official guidance please click here

As before all sessions are risk assessed and hand washing, hand Gel, and social distancing measures are in place for the safety of those attending.  Current sessions include Sprouting Out, Young Shoots, Distanced gardening at Community spaces in Almondbury and Dalton, and Bud sessions at our Wakefield Road site.

If you have any questions please contact us at info@growingworks.org.uk.  For current sessions please check our session times page.

Funding for improvements to Almondbury Community Garden

With support from Almondbury Ward Councillors through the Members Local Project Fund we are busy making repairs to beds at Almondbury Community Garden and supplying new equipment to local volunteers kindly giving their time to help keep this space looking amazing.

A visit from Volunteering Kirklees…

Thanks again to Volunteering Kirklees for their support with improving our volunteer offer at Growing Works.  It was great to be able to meet with Becky and receive the Volunteering Quality award officially, with some of our fantastic volunteers present too!

Fundraising support for Almondbury Community Garden

The Almondbury Community Garden has benefited from local fundraising carried out by Ben Franco at The Barn.  A big thank you to Ben and to the people of Almondbury for supporting this community space.  Please do visit and enjoy the site, join us there on a Friday afternoon, or call in and collect some of the harvest.  For more details contact us at info@growingworks.org.uk

Ben Franco from The Barn at Almondbury delivering fundraising support to the Community Garden Project

Support for Rawthorpe and Dalton Community Garden

The Dalton Ward Councillors have kindly provided funding through the Members Local Project Fund which will help us to maintain, and support local volunteers at the Dalton Library Community Garden.  If you are interested in finding out more about this community space please contact info@growingworks.org.uk

Support from the D’Oyly Carte Foundation

A big thank you to the D’Oyly Carte Foundation for their support of our work.  Core funding keeps Growing Works going and we feel so lucky to have received grants that allow us to continue to adapt to the changes 2020 has brought!

Grant Funding from the Edward Gostling Foundation

We are so grateful for funding support from the Edward Gostling Foundation to help to cover our running costs.  This comes at a great time helping us focus on adapting to needs through lockdown.  Thank You!

Our outdoor Space is available for use!

If your group or organisation is unable to use it’s usual venue due to Covid restrictions we’d like to help! You could use our outdoor space for FREE whilst following social distancing guidelines.  For more information please click the picture below and do share with any groups that may find this useful!

A good place to meet that’s outdoors! Click for details

Funding for SPRout!

We have recently received the fantastic news that Sprout has been awarded funding from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund.  This vital funding will allow the project to continue to support families as we move out of lockdown.

Thank you to the Government for this support!

A thank you from the Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire

we received an unexpected thank you card this weekend!  What a lovely surprise.  It’s one we want to share with you – our Participants, Volunteers, Friends, Partners, Trustees, Staff, and Funders.  Without you we wouldn’t have been able to provide the services we have throughout the lockdown period!

Community Garden Volunteers @ Growing Works

With the beautiful sunshine we’ve been enjoying through Spring the community gardens at Dalton and Almondbury Libraries have been growing fast.  It would have been quite the task maintaining these spaces along with ‘The Plot’ at Wakefield Road had it not been for the help of both existing and new volunteers stepping up to tend and water.  Many thanks to all of you from the Growing Works Team!  With your help these spaces have been looking amazing for all the visitors who have been able to access the site for exercise and outdoor space, so important to our well-being.

For more information on these Gardens please contact info@growingworks.org.uk.

Volunteering Quality Award

We are so pleased to have achieved a Volunteering Quality award.  With the support of Volunteering Kirklees we’ve been improving our volunteering offer to ensure that we have good quality opportunities for people to help others with Growing Works.  If you would like to know more please contact us at info@growingworks.org.uk

Growing Works Newsletter

Click here for the latest newsletter!

Check out our Grow-Your-Own blog

Whilst restrictions remain in place for the control of COVID 19 we are putting more of our growing tips and photos online, along with updates on the Community Gardens we support.  You can find these in our Blog postings.  If you use social media – we are also sharing photos and messages through our pages and would love to see and hear from you about your gardens, growing questions or tips, and views from your walks.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Growing Works is Going Greener!

Thanks to support from Morrisons’ Foundation Growing Works has replaced our diesel van with an environmentally friendly electric one, reducing our emissions substantially.

A big thank you also to Shepley Spring for offering the use of their charging facility!

Our Nissan EV200 has already been busy allowing us to develop our therapeutic centre and transporting donated food from The Full Life Church in Thongsbridge to DASH (Destitute Asylum Seekers Huddersfield) in Paddock.

 

 

 

 

 

Sprout Funding

Thanks to Thriving Kirklees and Dewsbury Parish Councillors for providing funding towards Sprout.

 

2020 Charity calendar

Thanks to many of our friend and supporter who have submitted photos to produce our 2019 Growing Works calendar. Available on recycled paper they are for sale for just £10, contact us directly or see us at Dark Wood Festive Market on 6th Dec.  Don’t forget to send your photos in for next years calendar competitions!

Volunteers Crafting

Our amazing volunteers have been busy making crafts for sale, thanks to the volunteers who have joined our 4 week willow course and green woodworking course. Thanks also to Good Gym who joined us at Paddock Village Hall to help us prepare for selling our crafts at the Dark Wood Festive Market on 6th December.

  

Looking forward to the Solstice Event

We had a wonderful time at our Autumn event, our guests refereed to it as “homely” and “good vibe”. We shared some great food, chilling by the fire, made braids and had a go at making plant prints using the Japanese art of Hapa Zome. Can’t wait for our winter event on 17th December, open to all.

Thanks to Princes Trust Young People

The Young People with both the Princes Trust and Flex Group got stuck in at helping out at our therapeutic centre.  They raised money to help establish a sensory garden, building raised beds for sensory plants, developing a den area with sensory stimulation. They also planned sign writing for our containers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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