Holton Lee – Ongoing and Flourishing in 2013

 
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Following Routes to Roots’ successful involvement in the launch of Holton Lee’s Project Flourish, they have been asked to select clients to take up places that become available as the initial volunteers complete their commitment.

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In an exciting new move in the summer of 2013, Routes to Roots became an allotment holder at Holton Lee. The guys really benefit from the experience, finding it a time to relax (despite the hard work) and put aside the day-to-day greyness and sameness of their lives. Joining with other disadvantaged people in undertaking these activities helps our clients to build on their team working and social skills as well as developing land-craft and horticultural skills, all of which improves their CVs. In October 2013 Routes to Roots took on a second adjoining plot, in which the team intend to plant fruit bushes and flowers. Holton Lee allotments will be a long-term project, which will provide opportunities for engagement for many years to come.

In offering R2R this opportunity, Holton Lee’s Volunteer Co-ordinator Emma Browning said: “With the allotment plot you are essentially your own bosses; you can come and go whenever you want (when we’re open) and do whatever you want on it (with a few rules about sheds, trees etc). I hope this will give more scope for a greater sense of autonomy for the guys and the levels of achievement are bound to be greater as they will have to come up with every idea off their own back and make it work through their own hard work.”

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Three Project Flourish ‘graduates’, John Parsons (new R2R Executive Committee member), Sid and George, are the first to take part in the allotment scheme. They are already hard at work. At the end of September those at R2R’s drop-ins were able to sample the allotment’s first crop of lettuce.

You can follow John’s Holton Lee Allotment Diary on FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/RoutestoRootsHomeless

THE R2R ALLOTMENT DIARY
September 2013

WEEK 7
TUESDAY – WATERED ALLOTMENT AND DID GENERAL TIDY ROUND.
WEDNESDAY – FILLED FIRST OF COMPOST BINS WITH MANURE AND COMPOST.
THURSDAY – WATERED, TIDIED UP EDGING, CUT GRASS.
WEEK 8
TUESDAY – WATERED, LIAISED WITH HOLTON LEE TO GET WOOD TO MAKE A KNEELING BOARD WHICH THEN CUT AND NAILED.
WEDNESDAY – WEEDED OPEN AREA OF POTATO PATCH AND TIDIED BORDERS.
FRIDAY – WENT TO LIBRARY TO RESEARCH A TOOL BOX WHICH FOUND AT ROBERT DYAS.
WEEK 9
SUNDAY – WATERED AND TIDIED.
MONDAY – ASKED R2R CO-ORDINATOR TO BUY THE TOOL BOX FOR US.
TUESDAY – ASSEMBLED TOOL BOX AND SECURED WITH A PADLOCK BOUGHT FROM BOONES. MADE A SHORTER HANDLE FOR THE RAKE SO IT COULD FIT IN THE TOOL BOX ALONG WITH OTHER TOOLS. LEVELLED GROUND BESIDE THE COMPOST AREA.
WEDNESDAY – WEEDED AND WATERED.
WEEK 10
TUESDAY – WATERED AND TIDIED AROUND EDGE OF PLOT 1 AND STARTED ON PLOT 2 BY MARKING AND LINING ITS EDGE WITH STRING. WENT TO SYDENHAMS TO GET QUOTE FOR TIMBER FOR THE EDGING.
WEDNESDAY – WEEDED PLOT 2AND WATERED PLOT 1. GAVE QUOTE FOR EDGING TO R2R CO-ORDINATOR.
THURSDAY – HARVESTED LETTUCE AND TOOK TO SKINNER STREET DROP-IN.