Reflecting on the last 10 years........ This month, as Growing Connections NI (GCNI) leaves The Quarries Farm, we are looking back at all that we achieved over the years. All the organisations and individuals who got involved. All the personal connections and friendships and the difference we made together. The small seed that led to the creation of GCNI was first planted in Tina’s 100 foot garden in Norwich in 2004. I used to think of her as ‘an amazing mole women’ as she dug up all that rubbish from the previous owner, car parts and bags of goodness knows what, and turned the waste land into a magical space. All the elements were there, raised beds, big shed for sheltering and storing tools, fire pit, patios, vegetables, flowers and fruit trees. We began as a support group for women feeling isolated in East Anglia and met in each others gardens, giving practical support and having socials. Back on our family farm in 2008 we made Peter a raised bed where he grew some champion beetroot. This made a lovely soup which we shared at the farm with friends visiting from Suffolk and Germany. This event opened our minds to how influential, being in nature and celebrating with others can be, to maintaining our health and well being. By 2009, with the support of friends old and new, we brought our peer support community model over the water and had our first large event on the farm in October 2009. By the end of the year, Growing Connections NI, the community members’ group, was truly established. A very big thank you, from all of us at The Quarries Farm, to the many members of GCNI over the years. What I have valued most is your willingness to ‘take a chance’ with our project idea and to rise to the challenge of encouraging people, with many different life experiences, to socialise and have fun in nature. Thank you, for the part you each played, in transforming our farm from quiet isolation to a vibrant community resource.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 21:44:42 +0000
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