Dunwood Park Community Growing Hub is ran by volunteers with a passion for growing, sustainability and helping wildlife and the community.
This was a celebratory lunch for the committee of the Dunwood Park Community Growing Hub. The committee had worked really hard all year. This was our first proper year and we have not only improved the garden, adding lots of new beds but we have also put in place our Constitution, Policies, Risk Assessments, Governance and Training log.
On top of this we have held several workshops and plant sales, we also have seen a steady, if slow, rise in the number of local people coming in to have a look at what we are doing. We spend a lot of time showing people around and explaining what we do and encouraging them to come along and join us.
As a result of this busy year, I felt that a lunch out would be a lovely recognition of all their efforts. With the help and support of Uzma Khaliq the application went in and we were thrilled to be successful.
Lunch was held at the nearby Woodlands at the Willows café.
The day was planned to follow on after our first AGM. We felt like a proper organisation and it was wonderful to hear the achievements outlined in the Chair’s report and to know that our hard work had paid off.
We planned to have a fun day and really celebrate our committee and let them know that their hard work was appreciated. We also wanted to use social media to let the community see what we do and hopefully encourage more members to come along.
The result was a great afternoon out. Our first aim was to reward the committee and that aim was certainly achieved. All of the members said how much they enjoyed it. One member commented that it was nice to have the time to sit and talk and not be rushed or interrupted. Another said that she felt it was important to take some time out and look back on all we had achieved and it was even better when she could do it with a slice of cake.
Our second aim was to use the event on our social media platforms to raise awareness of the Gardening Hub within the community. Posting about the event really spurred us on and gave us confidence to be much more visible on social media and we’re definitely noticing more people coming to the Hub and have another new member starting next week.
Next steps: to continue to celebrate our hard work and definitely do it again next year.
