Local Food
Project
 
Planting on Prescription and
Growing Club
‘Social Prescription’ to well being groups for people who identify as
having mental health problems. (More details below)
Yellow Tomatoes
Training for Housing Association Residents - See more details below
Sow a Seed
Aims to help schools to create or develop food growing areas and bring
horticulture into the curriculum - See more details below
Plotting the Future
Training and support for new and prospective allotment holders - See
more details below
Planting on Prescription
Planting on Prescription is an innovative project funded by the Big
Lottery Fund’s Local Food programme and the Tudor Trust. HCGC will
deliver ‘social prescriptions’ working in conjunction with GP’s,
community support groups and interested individuals as part of a
holistic approach to healing distress. Therapeutic horticulture is a
proven methodology in improving health and well being. The hope
is that this option will help GP’s better address people’s needs and
perhaps lead to a decrease in the number of patient visits. A referral
(either by outside agency, health practitioner or self-referral) will
be for a one month prescription to a well being group. We aim to
provide a warm, informal environment where participants are fully
included in the group process which might explore food growing,
creative arts, education around healthy eating or just a relaxing time
in a natural environment.
As a progression route clients will have access to the Growing Club
which is a weekly therapeutic horticulture session. The club will hope
to support attendees to develop confidence, autonomy and social
connections and encourage them to have a go at growing their own food.
To download a Referral
Form click here
Or call
0161 2278198 and ask for Julie or email
projects@hulmegardencentre.org.uk for more info.
Plotting the Future
This project aims to reach new and prospective
allotment holders from the ninety eight allotment sites in Manchester,
Stockport and Tameside. Discussions with allotment officers and
allotmenteers have shaped this course which will run throughout the
year at HCGC . It will cover all aspects of growing; site laying,
composting, companion planting, organic growing etc. and give new
allotment holders a user friendly introduction to sustainable allotment
gardening.
Call
0161 2278198 and ask for Katherine or email
thetrainer@hulmegardencentre.org.uk for more information.
Sow A Seed
Horticulture is becoming increasingly important to
children and schools alike as national policy continues to emphasise
the benefits of learning outside the classroom and best use of green
space. ‘Sow a Seed’ is a programme designed to engage children in
horticulture, promote healthier diets , exercise and help them to live
their connection with their natural environment. It will also
empower schools and pupils with the knowledge and skills to transform
physical spaces within schools into food growing areas. Katherine
HCGC’s trainer can offer bespoke solutions and provide tailor made
programmes to create growing spaces and instil a passion for growing
healthy local food.
At present the project is focussed on local primary schools , the
course will cover healthy soil, seed sowing, pricking out, potting on,
and planting out, companion planting and much more. To create
sustainable growing areas our training will provide planting guidance
and encourage active participation from caretakers at the training
sessions. The course includes two centred based sessions and for
outreach sessions based at the school.
Call
0161 2278198 and ask for Katherine or email
thetrainer@hulmegardencentre.org.uk for more information.
Yellow Tomatoes
Aimed at residents at local housing association properties, this
training will provide a range of courses from a weekly gardening club
through to a three month training programme depending on need and
individual housing association budgets and visions. Residents will
learn the basics of organic growing and be encouraged to establish
their own vegetable patches. The course will cover healthy soils,
healthy plants, sowing seeds, pricking out, potting on and planting
out. It will also demonstrate how food can be grown in containers,
yards and in raised beds in a garden and on a roof or balcony
space.
Call
0161 2278198 and ask for Katherine or email
thetrainer@hulmegardencentre.org.uk for more information.
Food
Futures Growing Manchester Programme - Sustaining Community Food
Growing Projects
What makes a successful community food growing project?
Is it people who can plan ahead?
Is it the sunny, well drained site?
Is it the ongoing grant? Is it a supportive neighbourhood?
Is it the local café that's willing to buy your surplus veg?
Each project is unique; each has its strengths and challenges;
each has to overcome different barriers; each has different aspirations
and goals.
The Growing Manchester Programme is a partnership between Food Futures,
the Kindling Trust, BITE and Hulme Community Garden Centre. It
aims to support community growing projects to
become more sustainable in the long term and covers a wide range of
issues such as maintaining soil fertility, your legal responsibilities
and involving
more people.
The Programme offers:
• food growing training,
• tailored support and planning
• site visits
• funding.
Who is it aimed at?
•
Groups and organisations already involved in
food growing or
gardening who want more support
• Groups and organisations who want to get
involved in food
growing who have
access to some land
• Staff in Children's Centres, Schools, Day
Centres,
Residential
Homes, Nurseries etc with access to land who
want to grow food
• Individuals who want to set up or join a
food growing project •
Community Allotment Projects
It all starts with the Strong Roots one day workshop that introduces
the Growing Manchester Programme, including how to meet the criteria
for funding.
For those of you who would just like to learn more about practical food
growing there is a five week (two hour per week) 'Introduction to Urban
Growing' course.
To apply for the training or to be part of the Programme, please fill
in the application form attached. Please see the dates below to
make sure you can attend. You can also download this from
http://www.foodfutures.info/growingmanchester.
Please
note that this is only open to Manchester based projects and
individuals.
Environmental
education centre
One of our aims is to develop HCGC as an Environmental Education centre
to promote wildlife conservation and sustainable development within the
community.
We already have a garden packed with wildlife that is open to
the community. The garden includes a wildlife pond with resident newts,
amongst other things, insect and bug habitats, a woodland garden and a
living willow hedge.
We are continuously looking to develop the Centre for the
benefit of the wider community and the environment and are planning to
convert the Centre to run off micro generation technology in the near
future.
Future plans are also to expand the site and open a visitor and
education centre - this will only be possible with the continous
support of funders, volunteers and the community.
At HCGC we aim to educate the local community in horticulture,
organic growing and the environment. Supervised sessions are on
Wednesday, but do give us a ring if this is a difficult day for you and
we will try to arrange an alternative.
We have a friendly aproachable team who are readily available to
give advice, we have volunteering sessions and placements and we also
have a more formal programme of courses and workshops.
We offer ...
- volunteer opportunity
- School/college placements
- Nursery/Primary
School activities in schools
Our aim is to work with community groups, schools and individuals
promoting horticulture.
As well as holding workshops and activities at the Centre we are
available to go into schools and the community to give advice.
We can offer a range of activities, please get in touch for more
information and
contact:-
Helene
Rudlin for Volunteering and Placements
Katherine
Moores for Training, Schools and off site training
on 0161 227 8198 or call at the Centre.
Corporate Challenges
We have a proven track record of working with businesses. We offer
bespoke corporate challenges and team building acitivities to suit
large or small groups (See 'Something To Shout About' page to view
photos of past projects).
Challenge days offer an ideal opportunity for staff development, whilst
making a difference to the local community.
If you or your organisation are interested in getting involved, please
contact Jamie Dickinson or Helene Rudlin at the centre.
Here are some examples of some of our successful challenges.
- Creation of a new Companion Plant garden in the community
garden.
- Revamp of plant display stand in nursery area.
- Building of pond dipping fence.
- Recylcing projects.
- Joint projects with local schools and organisations.
- Fujitsu Companion Plant Garden
- Hulme Community Garden in Albert Square, Manchester, for
Mancheser Confidential.
- The creation of a Bug Hotel
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