COMMUNITY NEWS
Raking &
Baking Project St Werburghs Community Centre on Horley Road by M32 initially set up the Raking & Baking Project in 2011. We strongly believe that people can grow their own produce no matter whether they have a garden or not. A container, raised beds in a courtyard, even herbs on a window sill – all can achieve great results, have positive impact on wellbeing and enhance our diet. Fast forward 10 years and the Project is still going strong with over 200 local people benefiting to date. St Werburghs Community Association’s original aims were to engage local people in food growing in small urban spaces and learning to cook fresh, healthy, seasonal food from scratch. We also hoped to provide an opportunity for intergenerational & cross-cultural learning. Once we had done some thorough evaluation we realised there were so many unexpected outcomes: “People were reporting that by attending the course they were feeling less isolated, more connected to other people and their community. They said they were learning about each other in a space with others whom they wouldn’t normally have contact with.
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There was also an unexpected emphasis on volunteering, with most participants feeling like they were contributing, sharing skills and giving back,” says Goska Ong, the Centre Director and the founder of the Project. The container gardens at the Centre and the hexagonal play pit have been built by local people during organised Volunteer Gardening Days supported by staff, Bristol Good Gym and Secret Garden – a local landscaping company totally committed to the aims of the Centre. The Gardening Days are a great opportunity to learn how to use power tools, build garden structures, such as containers or pergolas, and of course to meet people locally. Goska says “We had as many as 50 people supporting some of them. A wholesome cooked lunch, all equipment and staff support is always provided on the day. We hope to re-start them early spring as we need to rebuild some of the play equipment – Saturday 5th March 9.30 am to 3.30 pm is in the Diary – so watch this space!”
