On a sunny spring day in April, Cynthia Troup, Education Co-ordinator for Avon Gardens Trust, handed over a cheque for £500 to Ben Carpenter for the Community Space Challenge. The donation will to go towards the building and filling of five raised beds at the Springfield Allotments in Knowle West in Bristol.
Working with the local south Bristol primary schools, Ben runs a Forest School with a programme where children spend half their time learning forest skills and the other half learning about planting and the importance of recycling. This Social Enterprise Programme is called ‘Pick of the Bunch’, where the children grow seeds in poly tunnels and, in the space of 10 weeks, they sell the produce in their primary schools.
There is also an Urban Escape Project (Youth Club) of two hours a week for both 8-12 year olds and 13-19 year olds who work on developing the site. Among other achievements, they have built the magnificent wattle and daub round house seen above.
Our financial help will enable these young people with their exciting new project and they will share their experiences by skyping children in Mumbai who are involved with a similar project of building and filling raised beds. Ben has been put in touch with this group in Mumbai by a Bristol organisation that makes wind turbines for export to India.