This week our friends were very excited about the addition of a greenhouse at our allotment project in Longsight. We spent a lovely spring afternoon with our partner volunteers constructing it (struggling with the instructions). We were lucky to receive a small bit of funding to pay for the greenhouse, it will allow us to extend the growing season at the allotment which means more allotment sessions in a year.

Our partner volunteer had this to say,

I’m happy the greenhouse got done, we needed it because last year our seedlings died. We also want to grow tomatoes and lots of new veg.

We thought it would be easy to put it together but it was easily over 100 bolts! It took a lot longer than we thought but we all said, let’s stay behind and get it done.

I’d love to plant a cherry tree so we could eat our own fresh cherries!

I love being outside, otherwise I hibernate. Going to the allotment on a Tuesday, it’s a win.

The allotment project gives our friends a chance to escape the city centre, learn new skills around growing plants and produce and enjoy each other's company. The allotment also gives our friends more to do in a week, things to look forward to and to plan his week around.

Growing plants means that you have to monitor the plants; seeing how they develop; learning how they can encourage that, and how to care for them. It encourages our friends to be regular and attentive and gives them the responsibility of looking after the plants. This helps build lots of soft skills that our friends may have not developed due to disrupted childhoods, such as planning and long term thinking.

We are really excited to have the allotment project up gain this year and running and the greenhouse will soon be full of new seedlings ready for planting, new growth which we hope we will see reflected in our friends.

Happy Easter from Everyone at Barnabus

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