Day: 23 February 2023

The one thing the team want you to know

Last year we created a Flax Corn Dolly on Blockhouse Park. We’d like to do it again, in April 2023, building on success of last year’s event with a series of corn dolly workshops leading to a spectacular finale.

Help create a giant Flax Corn Dolly, join the procession accompanied by the Morris, release of the spirit of nature into the soil as the flax seed is sown.

To end, a traditional song performed by the Plymouth Morris. The event will lead in to The Village Hub’s Feast and Ceilidh taking place that evening in Stoke Youth and Community Centre.

Project description

Last year we created a Flax Corn Dolly on Blockhouse Park. We’d like to do it again, in April 2023, and build on the success of last year’s event with a series of corn dolly workshops leading to a spectacular finale.

We plan to do a series of workshops over 4 weeks, starting on Sat 25th March, during which participants will make a variety of corn dollies and weavings out of flax straw. In the final session, on 29th April, we will create a head piece and adorn a large willow structure with the weavings creating one large human size corn dolly. This will lead into the ceremony of carrying the Flax Corn Dolly to the prepared spot on Blockhouse Park, accompanied by the Plymouth Morris. Once sited, the community will be invited to take part in the ritual breaking of flax from the dolly into the bed symbolising the release of the spirit into the field. Finally, the flax seed will be sown into the bed and watered. Everyone can participate in every part of this.

We will end the ceremony with a traditional song performed by the Plymouth Morris. The event will lead in to The Village Hub’s Feast and Ceilidh taking place that evening in Stoke Youth and Community Centre, making a full day of Beltane celebrations that bring the community together.

Last year the carrying of the dolly, accompanied by the Morris, happened spontaneously at Stoke Fun Day, in July. It was a very beautiful happening but actually far too late to be sowing flax seed. In April we will be sowing the flax seed at the correct time of year. We want to plan the ceremony in a way that enables us to achieve maximum community involvement. For example, last year three local men were approached randomly, to carry the dolly up the hill. They were bemused but pleased to be asked. They really got into the spirit of the occasion and said afterwards that they enjoyed it and felt part of something. Many people approached me in the weeks that followed to say they would have loved to have known this was going to happen as they would have loved to have been a part of it.

Funding needed £4000

What group or groups of people will the project be working with and why?

We are focussing on people from Stoke and the areas bordering Blockhouse Park, across the age/ethnicity/ability/employment spectrum who are suffering social isolation, anxiety or are emotionally or financially distressed due to the direct or indirect effects of the cost of living crisis. We would particularly like to get local men involved, who traditionally would have been the main participants in these ancient rural practices. To this end, part of the budget is to be allocated specifically to a community engagement role which will start a month before the workshops begin. We intend to build a strong marketing campaign involving flyers and posters at every poster spot in the area to ensure we reach those people, who are not on the internet. We will also use social media and Meta/FB advertising. We will talk to businesses in Stoke Village including the pubs, the Masonic Lodge, the betting shops and the takeaways. We build on/add to the work being done by the Village Hub to create a community event that means something to the people of Stoke, and unlocks creative talents in arts, crafts and music.

What areas will the project be working in?1 neighbourhood

Stoke, loosely bordered, especially the area surrounding Blockhouse Park, including Ford, St Levan, Keyham, Morice Town

What is the group or organisations track record? Track record:
Been going for a few years

How new is the idea? Experimentation:
Established for a year

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Budget

Salaries & peoples time 73%

Project costs 12%

Event/hire/rent 5%

IT spend 10%

Core costs 0%

Capital 0%

Organisations involved

Flax Project C.I.C.
The Village Hub

The one thing the team want you to know

This is a tried and tested model which does what it says on the tin. We feed those in the community who are the most vulnerable whether adults, families, or young people hot nutritious food, which is delivered to their home. Eating healthy nutritious food has so many positive effects on mental health, wellbeing, and concentration. We believe having a full belly is a fundamental right which should be had by all.

Project description

We are targeting the most vulnerable people in our community because we know that self-care and nutrition can sometimes be at the bottom of their list. This could be due to financial contrainst, support and or motivation. We will use the funding to contribute to the normal cost of a two course meal. By doing this we reduce the price of the meal so that the client pays a fraction of the price. For example, the normal price of a two course meal is £6, however £4 would be contributed from the funding and the client only pays the balance of £2.

Funding applied for £10,000
Admin/core costs £1,000
Contribution Funding £9,000
Meals 2,250 subsidised meals over 6 months

However, whilst we are asking for £10,000, we can still absolutely make a difference with £5,000. The important thing about this idea is it can be adapted. Of course, the numbers would change but we could still make a big impact, nonetheless.

This is a tried and tested model which is simple yet effective. We know this because our clients tell us the difference this makes to their lives. Having a hot nutritious meal makes a massive impact both on physical health and mental health. In a society where not only the food we buy is becoming so expensive, now to even cook it is breaking the bank for some people. This project is giving those who need it most a choice because right now many of them don’t have a choice.

Funding needed £10000

What group or groups of people will the project be working with and why?

We will be working with the most vulnerable, this includes the elderly, families, and young adults.
By doing this we support their strength by improving wellbeing and resilience through a combination of nutritious meals and contact with volunteers. Improving mental health through reducing loneliness and isolation resulting in physical and phone contact, good nutrition, regular conversation with somebody outside of their lives.

What areas will the project be working in?City wide

We work in areas PL1 – PL9 and everything in between. Whilst there are ‘pockets’ of people in each postcode area, there are some clear indicators which show people from certain postcodes needing our services more than others. These are PL1, PL4, PL5, PL7. Our clients come to us from many ways, a lot are referred from other community groups like the Wolseley Trust, Livewell, Adult Social Care and of course word of mouth.

What is the group or organisations track record? Track record:
Been going for a few years

How new is the idea? Experimentation:
Established for a year

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Budget

Salaries & peoples time 0%

Project costs 90%

Event/hire/rent 0%

IT spend 0%

Core costs 10%

Capital 0%

Organisations involved

The one thing the team want you to know

We’d like to get Stoke JarSquad off the ground!

JarSquad brings people together to communally preserve food, curb waste, and revitalize the art of sharing. In collectively cooking up our shared abundance (of surplus, grown, or foraged food), we spark a RETHINK on what we might value/waste/share.

We’re ready to grow the number of JarSquadders in Stoke by training people to acquire skills to hold caring spaces and run their own JarSquad. In making food together, we work out how to share more, waste less, and connect with each other in mutual support.

Project description

JarSquad offers a social space for people to make, prepare, preserve and share food together that would otherwise go to waste. Being part of a JarSquad is an proactive and practical way for local people to address the cost of living crisis (in food and fuel cost inflation) and knock-on effects of loneliness and isolation. By coming together to creatively cook up surplus food, we share skills and ideas to support each other in and beyond the kitchen. This can also create exciting new foods that brings variety and quality to our diets.

We model the importance of freezing/defrosting, using leftovers, batch-cooking (and even composting!) as modes to curb food-waste, championed by WRAP (a climate action NGO). WRAP’s 2021 reports shows that 71% of (otherwise edible) food waste is generated in domestic households. As a squad we also learn new techniques (like fermentation, or dehydration) that can transform free, cheap or readily available ingredients into long-lasting food. JarSquadders go away with ‘luxury’ food (to enjoy and share with others) without the ‘luxury’ price-tag.

Co-creating a Stoke JarSquad responds to several requests from local people who’ve attended JarSquad ‘takeovers’ at The Village Hub’s Culture Club and want more! JarSquad’s co-animators would develop an offer of skills transfer (through creative consultation, community coaching and organizing) so that Stoke JarSquad can be cooperatively run by members.

JarSquad would promote and hold 2 community-designed sessions to listen to what interested local foodies would like to make happen. We can help chunk these visions to actions, set agreements on how best to support each other, (and handle conflict); and transparently share details of the budget.

The community group will rotate co-steering the first 3 sessions (guided by JarSquad), with an aim at self-facilitating the final 4th session. We included consultation time in-between sessions to aid planning, event-promotion and resourcing food and other necessary materials and equipment. We’ve also included few social gatherings as we’ve found ‘squadding’ more pleasurable when accompanied by opportunities to recreate in other inspiring ways.

The project is not currently funded elsewhere, and meets POP’s funding criteria by responding to an identified need, empowers local people to work more cooperatively and with care for our collective well-being. Success would be measured by the independent running of Stoke JarSquad with locals taking the lead; and the development of new skills and confidence by JarSquadders.

Funding needed £3870

What group or groups of people will the project be working with and why?

We’ve identified a budding food-passionate group of individuals in Stoke through The Village Hub (TVH) that would form our first set of community-designed consultations. This initial group (~12 people) is a mix of ages (15-73 y/o, with most falling in the range of 45-50) with several people working part-time, or retired. There’s quite a range of abilities and cooking knowledge: some have cooked professionally in kitchens, most are home cooks, and many are interested in local food, but aall re united in their enjoyment and love of food and learning.

Some have volunteered for TVH, or attended a Culture Club event or have previously attended a JarSquad session in Stoke or Stonehouse. Many are looking for an opportunity to upskill or share skills and gain more confidence whilst doing so. Some have specific wellbeing needs including mental health challenges, neurodiversity, addiction recovery etc.

Many live in Stoke, Morice Town, Ford, and North Stonehouse – approximately a 30-minute walk from Blockhouse Park (see below). Two of these areas (Morice Town & Stonehouse) rank high in the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and has seen increased and continuing demand from local people for acess to emergecy food and fuel throughout 2022.

We would like to collaborate with other POP projects (TPT for eg) to help get the word out to other local people in this same area interested in food.

What areas will the project be working in?1 neighbourhood

Our project will take place in Stoke Village, with an eye to having sessions at the Stoke Youth & Community Centre in Blockhouse Park.

We are aware (from 2021-2022 data collected by The Village Hub), that people who regularly attend creative activities in Stoke Village mostly living in Stoke, Morice Town, Ford, and North Stonehouse neighbourhoods – all within a 30 minute walking distance of Stoke Village – so we will target people living in this area specifically, and treating it as one “neighbourhood” area.

What is the group or organisations track record? Track record:
Been going for a few years

How new is the idea? Experimentation:
New, adapting something similar

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Budget

Salaries & peoples time 37%

Project costs 37%

Event/hire/rent 17%

IT spend 0%

Core costs 9%

Capital 0%

Organisations involved

Primary Partners:
The Village Hub
Friends of Blockhouse Park
All Ways Apples
Generous Earth

Ancillary Partners:
Food Plymouth
Nudge Community Builders

We’d like to connect with Transforming Plymouth Together and Care Nest to explore possible partnerships.

The one thing the team want you to know

Take a moment right now to bring someone to mind – a friend, colleague, neighbour, service user, family member – who you know is really struggling, whether financially, emotionally, physically, mentally, maybe a combination. Close your eyes and feel into how life is for them………
Now imagine inviting them into a room – the door opens, the light is soft, the air still and peaceful. The floor is warmly laid with blankets, cushions, soft seating, wellbeing books, and drawing materials. They sit down and take a deep breath. They can come back here again.
Now how do they feel?

Project description

WHO
Care Nest Plymouth CIC is a socially-purposed organisation based in Stonehouse. Moving into our 5th year of delivering relational wellbeing services, we provide opportunities for local people to directly experience, engage with, and learn from a variety of relational wellbeing practices. The purpose of this work is to help guide, empower, and better equip our clients as they explore, acknowledge, and actively respond to their needs, interests, and concerns.

WHAT
Our plan is to host 2-hour Daily Cause to Pause sessions (Mon – Sun) for a 3-month period, inviting local adults (15 max per session) to drop-in for any length of time and rest together with others in silence. During each session, participants will have access to yoga mats, chairs, blankets, cushions, hot water bottles, wellbeing reading/drawing/writing materials, water, and toilet facilities. The only rules participants will be asked to follow are: NO shoes/food/talking/devices. There will always be at least one Care Nest staff member present during each session to ensure it remains as welcoming, safe, and comfortable as possible for all.

WHY
We’ve listened attentively throughout our years of delivery to the countless stories our clients have shared of their experiences, and have witnessed a commonly shared journey between them that starts with some kind of struggle, progresses into stress, then overwhelm, followed by an inability to act, and finally ends in isolation. What our evaluative processes and client testimonials have taught us is that by accessing our ‘quiet-based’ activities, clients have over time been able to vastly improve their wellbeing by learning how to pause, slow down, listen to themselves, reflect, make wiser choices, practice better self-care, and subsequently recover their self-worth and resilience. Life is noisy, messy, demanding, and uncertain; and there are almost no public spaces (not focused on entertainment, consumption, or religion) available for people to just be together without these distractions interrupting their attention. Our Daily Cause for Pause sessions aim to help fill this gap.

IMPACT
In order to gather evidence for the impact of this work, those who attend sessions will be invited to capture and share their experiences anonymously on paper. These trails of written/drawn feedback will be visually displayed within the space for others to see. Global Plymouth (University of Plymouth) have also stated their direct support for this project, within which they are very keen to collate and research this feedback academically.

Funding needed £4995

What group or groups of people will the project be working with and why?

These sessions will specifically be for adults (18+) who live, work, or move within the Stonehouse area, and who identify as being somewhere on the journey between struggle→ stress→ overwhelm→ inability to act→ isolation. We know that Stonehouse is a highly deprived area of Plymouth, and that outside the city centre, it is also the area most affected by crime (Plymouth City Council 2020 neighbourhood statistics). Therefore, many of these local people may well be closer to the stage of ‘inability to act / isolation’ within their struggles, and may subsequently feel desperate to gain access to a regular space that is safe, quiet, comfortable, and restful. In order to reach and engage with this particular group of people, we’ll tap into our well established network of venues, organisations, and community members local to us through informal conversation and welcoming.

What areas will the project be working in?1 neighbourhood

Stonehouse/Millbay

What is the group or organisations track record? Track record:
Been going for a few years

How new is the idea? Experimentation:
Been delivering for years

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Budget

Salaries & peoples time 75%

Project costs 25%

Event/hire/rent 0%

IT spend 0%

Core costs 0%

Capital 0%

Organisations involved

Global Plymouth (in association with University of Plymouth)