Author Topic: New Allotment Project (Read 4708 times)

MindBodyandSoil · « **on:** March 06, 2008, 21:43:26 »

Hello to you all. We are new to the forum. Iwould like to take this opportunity to say hello to you all, and also to tell you a little bit about our fabulous new project. I work for MIND the mental health charity, and we are in the early stages of setting up an allotment project in West Norfolk. The aims of our project are to get people active and improve their fitness level. Getting our servidce users to try something new, to find themselves a new and rewarding interest, to provie "gainful occupation", and, obviously, to help improve their mental health and well being. We also promote social inclusion, trying to get our service users involved in their local community, raising awareness of mental health problems, and trying to reduce stigma, ignorance and prejudice. For some reason, mental health conditions are often still considered taboo, which is totally bizarre, considering that one in four of us will suffer from some kind of mental health poblem in our lives. We are actively rying to make a positive change in our community. Our local project is part of a much larger national movement called "Moving People". their website address is movingpeople.org.uk. The web address of our charity is mind.org.uk. If this is of inerest to you, please have a look at them, or email me if you have any questions.

We are looking for volunteers in the local area, so please get intouch if you are interested.

We are also desperately in need of seed donations, pots, trays etc, (even though we are actively recycling anything we can use to plant in!!!)

Also if anyone knows of any sheds or green houses or polytunnels in the area going for a reasonable price, these things would be much appreciated, as we currently have no shelter, and nowhere to make a cuppa!!!

Your thoughts on the project would also be greatly appreciated, any advice from anybody who has run a similar project.

Many thanks for taking the timeto read this rather lengthy post!!!

springbok · « **Reply #1 on:** March 06, 2008, 22:05:05 »

Welcome to the forums :)

Can I suggest you join the local freecycle site, you will be amazed how many sheds, greenhouses etc come up looking for a good home.

Lauren S · « **Reply #2 on:** March 06, 2008, 22:18:05 »

Hi and welcome from me also.
Good luck with your new project.
Lauren :)

saddad · « **Reply #3 on:** March 06, 2008, 22:43:22 »

Welcome to the site... if you talk sweetly to the people running the Seed Swap "pass the parcels" they might let you have the residue!

We have community groups working on our site but I'm not very involved with that..
:-[

betula · « **Reply #4 on:** March 06, 2008, 22:59:17 »

Welcome and good luck.Can you post an address to send seed to?
It sounds like a great project. :)I think gardening has a very positive effect on mental health.The physical effort of creating an allotment helps you to sleep well.It is fun to plan and the satisfaction you get from seeing seeds from germination to produce on your plate is wonderful............oh by the way the kettle will be your most important tool ;D

star · « **Reply #5 on:** March 06, 2008, 23:56:29 »

Hi and welcome ;D ;D

Its a great job you are doing in Norfolk. I hope you acquire all the things you need very soon. We have found with our project we are having a lull with volunteers. I guess its cold and not much has been growing.

Its the start of our second growing season. Our website is the link at the bottom of my post, its not a busy forum. But we have had fun and hosted some great projects last year.

If you do have an address for seeds to be sent like Betula asked, please put your details in a PM. Unless its to the MIND headquarters or offices.

Good luck :D

DenBee · « **Reply #6 on:** March 07, 2008, 08:07:51 »

Sounds like a very good project you're starting up there. I can speak from personal experience that I've found lottie-ing extremely good for my mental health.

As far as garden buildings go - maybe worth having a word with the diy big shops. I was in B&Q the other day and they had a couple of sheds going very cheap because there were parts missing. No idea what the missing parts were, but I bet the staff would be happy to help an organisation like yours.

kenkew · « **Reply #7 on:** March 07, 2008, 08:26:07 »

Welcome to the site and well done to you and your team for organising practical help for those less fortunate.

Might I suggest you create a wanted/needed list so people can then promise to donate and the list is kept up-to-date almost immediately and items can be 'tick-off' which will amend your list on an almost daily basis.

Seeds are the easier item in that getting them to you is a fairly easy process, but better to have a little of many varieties rather than a glut of just one, so again, if you know what you need seed wise, a list is the answer.

An address would also be handy.
Good luck, let's hope you get off to a flying start.

manicscousers · « **Reply #8 on:** March 07, 2008, 08:46:24 »

helo and welcome to the site, as everyione has said, if you could give us an address we could send seeds to, you'll probably get lots..we're always getting freebies on magazines..also, you should be able to get places who make tools, seeds, sheds etc to donate things , bat your eyelashes at them ;D

MindBodyandSoil · « **Reply #9 on:** March 07, 2008, 13:18:42 »

Thankyou SO much for your positive responses to our project - it is so refreshing to see people enthusiatic about a mental health project.

I will happily post a "needed" list in the next few days. I warn you - the list may be enormous!!!

We would be incredibly grateful for any seeds that anybody can spare - in return, I'm afraid all I can offer is a thankyou on our website (when we get it up and running!) if you wanted.

The address is "Gardening For Health", West Norfolk Mind, 3 & 4 Richmond Place, Columbia Way, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 2NE.

Once again, many thanks for your overwhelming support. Once more established, I will post photo's and give regular updates on our progress.

Please keep all the advice coming - it is invaluable!

THANKYOU!!!!

Columbus · « **Reply #10 on:** March 08, 2008, 07:18:38 »

Hi, :)

Try having a word with Easton College,

http://www.easton-college.ac.uk/

And Norwich City College,

http://www.ccn.ac.uk/

I`m sure that they will be be able to help with some surplus materials. I don`t know Kings Lynn but I`m sure that similar contacts can be made closer to where you are.

Best of Luck , Col

saddad · « **Reply #11 on:** March 08, 2008, 08:54:42 »

I'll keep an eye out for your wanted list..
;D

pg · « **Reply #12 on:** March 08, 2008, 10:18:54 »

A thought - perhaps you could get Monty Don down to do the official opening. He has been quite open in interviews and his books about how he suffers from depression and gardening is his way out.

MindBodyandSoil · « **Reply #13 on:** March 08, 2008, 20:06:40 »

Love the Monty Don idea - One of our targets is to find a celebrity to engage with the project, and he would be ideal!!! Still working on the "most wanted" list, and will post soon. Once again, thanks for the comments, and keep them coming!!!

manicscousers · « **Reply #14 on:** March 08, 2008, 21:57:47 »

don't mean to hijack the thread, one of our members was approached by someone from the learning disability partnership board in Wigan..would this be similar to your group, we have an area we are turning into raised beds..would this be suitable for them ? are there any special requirements ? thanks for any advice :)

MindBodyandSoil · « **Reply #15 on:** March 08, 2008, 22:26:29 »

Well, mental health problems and learning difficulties are very different - ie a learning difficulty is usually something a person is born with, and a mental health problem is something that develops due to our life experiences etc. Obviously, the needs of someone suffering depression or extreme anxiety is very different from someone who has downs syndrome, or autism etc. (Sorry to spout on!) However, luckily, I have also worked with learning difficulties! It really depends on any other disabilities it wheel chairs etc. You would have to take into consideration the width of paths to accommadate a wheelchair, also you would need to ensure you have a range of raised beds, as obviously they need to be easily accessible from a chair height-wise, also the width of bed would be important, as it would need to be accessible all over from a wheelchar etc. I can give you somelinks to websites of some other organisations that will be able to give clearer guidance if you wish. Also ake into account heath and safety (ensuring you cover the ends of any canes or poles which stick out of ground) - we use plastic balls, like you'd find in a ball pit.

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #16 on:** March 08, 2008, 23:23:16 »

What you need for learning disabilities depends on the degree of disability. I spent years working with people with moderate learning disbilities, and they were well capable of handling basic jobs like gardening.

MindBodyandSoil · « **Reply #17 on:** March 08, 2008, 23:43:37 »

I absolutely agree Rob, I believe I said something similar, but I did want to point out that health and safety is now a huge issue. The world has gone crazy with it. I know from starting this project that it is a real pain. The learning difficulties group who run an allotment across from my project also had a complete health and safety nightmare. Not just that, but also the practicalities of caering to any group of people, regardless of their background, can be quite diffficult and daunting, without being aware of their circumstances

Suzanne · « **Reply #18 on:** March 09, 2008, 03:41:12 »

Thought I would let you know that Seeds of Italy do a schools pack - which I am sure you would qualify for. Its 7 packs of seeds for £1. The packs are indicated as being a little dog eared so they can't sell them - but the seeds would be okay. They send by mail order.

caroline7758 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 09, 2008, 10:01:49 »

Both the BBC and RHS are really pushing community gardening, so it would be worth approaching both.

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Author Topic: New Allotment Project (Read 4708 times)