Our blog - August '22
Thanks for joining us for our first-ever edition of Dean’s blog. This is where I hope to be able to let you know about the great stuff going on at CVL from the perspective of someone who works with and meets our great participants every day.
As part of Talk to Us this month, led by the Samaritans to raise awareness of the widespread listening support that they offer people in need, we’ve been focussing on the opportunities we have to listen to our community and it’s got us thinking about the great work that’s been going on, as part of our Galloway Gardens project.
Every week our group of volunteers comes together to transform the communal land of Rainham Close in Thorntree, and this month we used the space to find out more about what our volunteers would like to see in the garden and the community. Our very own Emma painted a fantastic mural of a tree on one of the fences surrounding the garden. Everyone was then asked to spend some time considering what the garden meant to them, each person wrote their comments on a leaf and added their leaf to the branches of the tree for everyone to see. The aim is to show how we hope to grow as a community and reach new heights.
On 9 August we will also host the judges of Northumbria in Bloom as Galloway Gardens has been nominated for the ‘Improving neighbourhood’ award, for the work the team has done with our sensory corner. On this day we will be hosting an open event to showcase and celebrate the work that has gone into building this area. The purpose is to bring local residents and the community together, reduce isolation, make new friends and learn some valuable gardening skills.
Coffee and catch up this month also grew in numbers with the attendance of Step Forward Tees Valley, Middlesbrough First, Tees Valley Buddies and Middlesbrough, and Stockton Mind. Not only did Tees Valley Buddies come along to support the development of our sensory corner at Galloway Gardens, hopefully contributing to our win at Northumbria in Bloom, but it also meant everyone left coffee and catch up that week with a smile on their faces, due to the extra support and people to chat to.
Working on these projects brings me so much joy, not only am I seeing the positive impact it’s having on the community, it is having a huge impact on my own, mental and physical health too.
If you’d like onto visit us at coffee and catch up or any of our weekly activities, you can find out more on our ‘Get involved’ page. We would also love to see you at our Galloway Gardens open event on 9 August, to find out more please contact us on Facebook or 01642 989 254.
See you soon!
Dean