Hi <<First Name>> and welcome to our winter newsletter!
It might not seem like it but spring is just around the corner. There are already signs of new growth and it is good to remember that nature doesn’t need to be told what to do. Regardless of what is happening in the world the seeds, plants and trees will grow in their own time. All we can do is look after our environment as best we can. That is what we aim to do here at Communigrow and we thank you for your continued support.
We are remaining open and are adapting what we do to minimise the risk of Covid-19 infections and look forward to the new season with much hope and optimism.
Helen Turner, Secretary and Trustee
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Meet the team: David
We are pleased to introduce our new series of interviews with staff and volunteers. Over the course of the next few months we will be sharing these with you. We believe that here is no better way to tell our story than through experiences. A big thanks to Georgia Woolf, our volunteer, who created the questions for the interviews and wrote this article.
Euan, one of our volunteers, spoke to David Jeffrey, our Horticultural Leader at Communigrow during one of the quiet days in November. During that conversation David reflects "I have been at Communigrow for about five months and although I have only been here a little while, I feel really at home here. I encourage anyone who wants to learn about horticultural growing or just wants that space to give them time to think to volunteer."
Read the full article here
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Communigrow during lockdown
Following government guidance, we continue applying COVID-19 measures to guarantee a safe environment for everyone. The field is only open to regular volunteers who have booked sessions in advance between Monday and Friday (9am- 12pm).
If you have any questions feel free to contact us at 07546 437272 or 07806 708386.
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Birds, Bugs, Bats and a Butterfly Banquet
You might have seen already on our social media that back in December we started a fundraising campaign. We would like to run a series of hands-on holiday workshops ‘Birds, Bugs, Bats and a Butterfly Banquet’ for local young people aged 8-16yrs with each session focusing on a different type of wildlife. So far we have managed to raise £100 which is enough to buy a birdhouse, bug hotel and flower seeds, and we are grateful for all donations, however it is only 20% of our goal!
A small donation will help us to make it happen and we would appreciate your support, whether by donating any amount you are comfortable with, or by sharing the campaign with your friends. To find out more click the button below.
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Veg Box Recipes
January is the coldest month of the year in the UK, with average temperatures reaching a daily high of just 7 degrees Celsius (44 degrees Fahrenheit) and a low of 1 °C (34 °F). Our volunteer Charley Pope prepared this recipe for Mixed Bean Chilli. It is a great, comforting meal to make that can be kept in the fridge, used as a jacket potato topping, to fill burritos or even to top nachos! Perfect after a frosty winter walk.
View the recipe here
We would love to see you try this recipe so please tag #Communigrow in your posts.
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We are hiring!
We are delighted to share with you a new opportunity available at Communigrow: we are currently recruiting for a part time Development Officer to join our team. The purpose of the role is to consolidate the development of the charity, strengthen operational day-to-day management, thereby allowing further growth and business development to be sustained.
Job description is available to view and download here. Please get in touch if you have any questions or are interested.
Also have a look at our current volunteering opportunities:
Volunteer – Bookkeeper
Volunteer – Youth Forum
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Planning with Communigrow
We hope, like us, you are looking forward to the spring, when everything at Communigrow will start popping out from the soil, with an abundance of delicious produce available to harvest and share with our lovely community in a few months' time.
For now, have a sneak peek into what we have planned for 2021 and we hope that we will be able to safely welcome visitors at our field soon.
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Turn your clutter into a charity donation!
Have you been meaning to have a major January clean up and you feel that recent events have made this scenario impossible? We thought you may like this idea from Virgin Money Giving. They have partnered with Ziffit, a free web and app service, that instantly values books, games, DVDs and CDs and the trade value can be donated directly to Communigrow. You can read more about it here.
Every donation is helping us to meet our mission of providing a broad variety of opportunities and activities using horticulture and social enterprise that educate, inspire and support young people and adults facing complex challenges across West Kent. We are grateful for all your support.
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Big Garden Birdwatch on 29-31 January
From 29th until 31st January Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is organising the Big Garden Birdwatch. We will be taking part at Communigrow and would like to encourage you to do the same in your gardens. To play your part in the world’s largest bird survey this January, just follow the simple instructions on the RSPB website.
Thanks to people taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch over the years, RSPB now have over 40 years of data and this has helped increase our understanding of the challenges faced by wildlife.
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Do you follow us on our social accounts?
We share updates an opportunities regularly on our social media accounts, click on the links below to follow us and be up to date.
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