Baking and Raking 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. 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!”

Other people that attended Louna’s Syrian feast session said: ‘I learnt so much about food from other cultures’. ‘This was the most enjoyable session so far. I’ve learnt so much. What a feast. So many little techniques I can use in my own cooking’.

We are very grateful to our funders the Bristol John James Foundation who have supported the Project in the last couple of years as well as our Raking & Baking Outreach and Festive Friends during the pandemic.

St Werburghs Community Centre runs ongoing Raking and Baking courses. We are now taking bookings for 2022 for the following dates: Course 1: 6th January to 17th February: 7 weeks, Thursdays 10am – 3pm Course 2: 3rd March to 7th April: 6 weeks, Thursday 10am – 3pm

For bookings please telephone the St Werburghs

Community Centre on Horley Road on 0117 955 1351. We particularly welcome older people as we aim for the activities to be intergenerational. You can also email office@ stwerburghs.org. uk or come to the reception to apply in person.

Our statistics show that as a result of attending Raking & Baking courses 92% of participants felt less isolated, 93% happier in everyday life and as much as 90% were more confident. Every one of the participants reported making new friends. People said: "I feel less alone, happier to be part of a project"; "It made me feel happier and I've met new friends."

Misty Tunks, the Project Coordinator, says “Louna Maerstawi was one of these people. She attended the course in Autumn 2021 and fully entered into the experience. Louna came onto the course wanting to improve her English, to make new friends and build her confidence in a group setting. Not only did she do that, but she led a whole session on making Syrian food. She planned it, taught the group about the ingredients and their origins, showed specific preparation techniques, shortcuts and the all-important presentation.”

“I really enjoyed teaching the other people about food from my country. I was so happy that everyone liked my food. It's really helped my confidence in English too. I’ve learnt lots of new English cooking words. I'm proud of me. Part of my culture is to eat lots of meat but this course had made me want to eat healthier and eat more vegetarian food.”