Tenants at our sheltered living scheme in North Belfast, James Court, recently completed a 6 week programme delivered by Groundwork NI to bring some life back into the raised beds in the courtyard area at the scheme.
Groundwork NI is a community development and regeneration charity delivering services across Northern Ireland. Their Horticulture Lead, Martha, supported by Horticulture Assistant, Kira commenced the 6 week programme, funded by PHA, in May with sessions running on Wednesday mornings. Tenants who attended the sessions benefitted from Martha and Kira’s expertise, learning what to plant and when, and of course they got hands on and did some planting! The programme not only helped tenants to develop their knowledge and confidence in growing their own vegetables, it also provided an opportunity for them to get together and have fun.
Choice tenant, Ciaran Muldoon really enjoyed the sessions, “Martha and Kira were positive, encouraging and knowledgeable. Great communicators. For the group that came it was good to do something together and a pleasant experience for all involved.”
Another tenant, Jennifer McCluskey commented, “the ladies were very informative and brought laughter to the scheme. Now we have a better knowledge of planting vegetables and looking after our hanging baskets.”
The team from Groundwork NI also had lots of fun running the gardening sessions at James Court, “everyone came away from each session learning something new. Yes, we were all there to talk about gardening and plants but it was also a chance to slow down, have a bit of craic and connect with others which we all need a bit more of these days.”
Well done to everyone who took part!
