by Alexandra Harris, My Way Facilitator
It all started with me trying to make some connections to pull together a work experience database.
We are always looking for opportunities for students at MacIntyre No Limits™, based on the things they are good at and the things they enjoy, near to where they live that have the potential to continue when they finish college.
At our provision in Oxfordshire, I identified the students and geographical areas and areas of interests and started to get out and meet some of the people and local businesses and groups to add them to our database.
A volunteer opportunity
I started off looking for cafés in Abingdon and the Abingdon Baptist Church volunteers run a lovely little café – Café@35. I went to speak with the minister and asked is there anything we can do to help? The minister said they were OK in the café but actually had been thinking about developing some allotments.
She showed me a beautiful space – a hidden gem behind the church that they wanted to turn into a space for people locally to share, tend to and grow produce. They wanted to invite groups who would use and to share the produce with each other.
She said that they had a shed full of equipment and some volunteers who would be keen to work alongside the students.
Making local links
We knew we would need some expertise to get the space ready and they knew the Abingdon Carbon Cutters, a local environmental group. They were happy to landscape the area and create beds that we could start to work in. They worked all over the Easter bank holiday weekend and … the allotments are ready!
Growing community
Over the last few weeks, one of the students has been starting to prepare. He goes to the church and into the shed and the volunteers have put a list together of what needs to happen that week.
It’s been things like planting seeds, cutting things back and tidying and weeding. He’s now growing plants from seed that will be able to go into the ground now the beds are ready.
It’s a perfect space, peaceful and central and with so much potential for our students to make a difference to themselves and their own skills but also to the local environment and getting to know the people near where they live.
