community garden leaders' handbook

Growers’ Handbook for participants

Session 1

Welcome to the Seeds, Soup and Sarnies Community!What Seeds, Soup & Sarnies Communities do …

•Growfoodtogether •Sharegardeningtips •Enjoycookingtogether •Sharerecipes •Enjoyeachother’scompany •Sharemealstogether •Makestuff •SharephotosonFacebookorFlickr •Welcomeanybodywhowantstobepartofit •Valueeverybody’scontribution •Bondneighbourhoods •Improvetheplacewelivein •Makepeoplefeelgoodaboutthemselves •Befriendandshare

1.1 Warm up bingo

2 SS&SGrowersHandbookSession1

Seeds, Soup and Sarnies Communities are…

…what you make them!

Share Plant

GrowEat

Cook

Bythe

way,didyou

know…that

courgetteshave

maleandfemale

flowers?

SS&SParticipantsHandbookSession1 3

Pleased to meet you!Tells us something about yourself What’s in a name?!What’s in it for me? (the sower, the …)

Loadsofmoney?…don’tthinksoQualifications?…possiblyEmployability?…mostlikelyMycommunityisanicerplacetolive…definitely

Check this out:

Increasedandimproved: •Satisfaction •Self-confidence •Friendships •Problemsolvingskills •Peopleskills •Communicationskills •Leadershipskills •Organisationalandplanningskills…andlotsmore!

1.2 Introduction Game,1.3 Icebreaker Questions

Sower

Doer

Inspirer

Propagator

Mover

Motivator

4

How do I go about propagating a group?Forming •Peoplegettogether •Sharedpurpose

Storming •Ideas •Creativity •Enthusiasm •Communication •Vision •Disagreement •Conflict •Gettingtoknoweachother

What qualities do I need to be a good propagator?Yesitwouldbeniceifonepersonhadallthesequalities,buttheideaisthat,sharedbetweentheindividualswithinyourcommunity,youwillhaveall thesequalities...

1.4 Sower Qualities

Norming •Organizing •Sortingrelationships •Planning •Teammemberstakeonroles

andresponsibilities

Performing •Learnfromexperience •Relationshipsaresorted •Teamiseffective •Functioningwell

ConfidentHonestTruthfulEnthusiasticInspiringMotivatorResponsibleTeamplayerPurposefulPassionateDedicated

TolerantRemaincalmThinkthingsthroughWanttodotheirbestProactiveReadytoadmitmistakesPreparedtolearnNoteasilydefeatedRemainpositiveGoodlistenerSeethebestinpeople

...andthenyoucanalsodevelopandstrengthenthesequalitiesinyourself.

Can I really do this?Youarenotonyourown.Youarepartofthegroup.Thereislotsofsupportavailable.YouarepartofthewiderSeeds, Soup and SarniesCommunity.

All you need is lots of enthusiasm, being good at asking for help… …and wanting to share!

Bytheway,

didyouknow…

thatyouneedmor

e

caloriestodigest

celerythanit

contains?

SS&SGrowersHandbookSession1

5

Where could your Seeds, Soup and Sarnies groups meet?Things to consider with Venues: •Location •Size •Accessibility -Physicalneeds -Emotionalresponses •Purpose/use •Healthandsafety •Affordability •Availability

Howdoyouencouragesomeonetocontemplateturningupforthefirstmeetingandtosubsequentlyjointhegroup?

Whenlookingatvenuesforaneventconsiderthefollowing:Disabilities,supportneeds,equalities.

1.5 Venues


6

Now you have made newspaper pots and planted seeds, can you reflect on the following?

1.6 Making Newspaper Pots

Whatmaterialsdoyouneedtodothisactivity? Howlongwillittake?

Whichothermaterialscouldyouuse? Arethereanyhealthandsafetyconcerns?

Howcanyousupportdifferentpeopletodotheactivity? Whatkindofspaceisneeded?

Anyotherobservations?


7

What a busy day!Next time bring with you some of the following to share with us:

•agardeningtip

•Anideaforapracticalactivity

•Anideaforanoutdooractivity

•Anyotherideasyouhave

•Anycommentsyouwanttomake

•AnyquestionswhichhavecometoyouBythewa

y,

didyouknow,

thatthereareearly

andlatefruiting

raspberries?



Session 2

Welcome back!Aims/aspirationsoftheSeeds, Soup and SarniesProject

In your view, what makes a Seeds, Soup and Sarnies Community tick?

Usethistreeshapedmindmapasanexampletorecordyourthoughtsontheblankmindmaphandout.

2.1 Blank mindmap

Cook Share

Grow

SS&SGrowersHandbookSession2 9

Where and how to find existing groups

2.2 Group Members

What might people from these groups bring to Seeds, Soup and Sarnies?

Whenmatchingthecharacteristicstopeople,watchoutforstereotyping.Investigatewhatotherattributesandskillspeoplecouldbringtothegroup.

Recordyourthoughtshere:

CouncilLibrary

Social Services

Online

Local notice boards

Bytheway,

didyouknow,

thatthefirstsoup

wasmadeof

hippopotamus?

10

2.3 Planning Scenarios

The ‘Nitty-Gritty’ of running a sessionWhatactivitiesaregoingtohappen?•Gardening•Cooking•Making•Sharing

Whatresourcesareneeded?

Whatinformationwillpeopletakeaway?

Howaretheseactivitiesgoingtobeaccessedbyallmembers?

Howarehealthandsafetyissuesplannedfor?

Howwillyoumakesurethatpeoplewilljoinin?

Now it’s your time to plan a session!

Usethescenariostoplanasessioninasmallgroup. •Bereadytofeedbacktotherestofthegroup. •Usethe‘nitty-gritty’gridtosupportyourplanning. •Whatdidyoufindeasy? •Whatdidyoufindnotquitesoeasy? •Dideveryonefeelthesame? •Compareyourexperiencewiththatoftheothergroups.

Bytheway,

didyouknow

thatladybirds

andtheirlarvae

arehelpfulto

gardeners?


SSSParticipantsHandbookSession2 11

2.4 Diversity Quiz

Do we need ground rules?

Is it OK for people to answer their phone?

Does it matter what kind of language people use?

Do I have to be worried about safeguarding?

How can we make sure that everyone is listened to?

How can I make sure that everyone helps with tidying up?

How can we prevent put-downs?

12

Let’s make something! Dream catcherUsethisevaluationcircletoreflectontheactivity.

What went well?

What is the activity?

What would you do differently?

What did you gain?

Whathelpdoyouneedtorunsuchanactivity?

Canyouthinkofanactivitytofollowthisone?

Thedreamcatcherideacomesfromthiswebsite:naturalkidsteam.com/wordpress/2010/07/making-dream-catchers-muddyfeet


2.5 Dreamcatcher

13

2.6 Drinks Quiz, 2.7 Food Swapper

Healthy eating – balanced meals •Eatwellplate •Foodgroups •Fiveaday

Werethereanysurpriseswhensortingthedifferentfoodsintotheirgroups?Doyouhaveanideaaboutportionsize?Wouldyoufulfilthe‘fiveaday’rulebydrinkingoneorangejuiceandeatingoneappleaday?

Formoreinformationcheckoutthesewebsites:

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/eatwell-plate.aspx

www.nhs.uk/change4life

www.familylearning.org.uk/balanced_diet.html

rwp.excellencegateway.org.uk under ‘embedded learning’

Inasmallgroupdiscusshowbalancedyourfavouritemealsareandhowtheycouldbemadeevenhealthier.


14 SSSParticipantsHandbookSession2

How did you find today?1.Fornexttimeplanandcarryoutanactivity.Pleasebereadytofeedbacktotherestofthegroupwhatyouexperienced.

2.Bringphotos,ifyoucan.Don’tforgettoobtainpermissionfromtheparticipants-aformisavailableforyoutouse.

3.Please,bringdifferenttypesofadverts,posters,leafletsandotherpublicitymaterialyoucanfindtothenextsession.

Good luck! Bythe

way,did

youknowthat

lemonscontain

moresugarthan

strawberries?


Session 3

Welcome back! •Howareyoufeelingtoday?

•HowdoyoufeelabouttheSeeds, Soup & Sarniesproject?

•Howdidyourplannedsessiongo?

•Howwouldyouliketofeeltoday?


3.1 Organise a Seed Swap, 3.2 Organising an event

Selecting and organising a special eventIdeallyyouwillbeplanningfourSeeds, Soup & Sarnieseventsthroughouttheyearinyourcommunities:

Winter – Seed SwapSpring – PlantingSummer – The Big LunchAutumn – Harvest Celebration

Seasons Traditional Events

Visits Faith Celebrations

Seasonal Food

Think

Onceyouhavedecidedwithyourgroupswhattheeventshouldbe,begintheplanning.Aswithanyothersessiontheusualconsiderationsapply,butyoumightalsoopttoinvitespecialpeopleorothergroups.Thismeansyoumighthavetoreconsideryourchoiceofvenue.

www.seedysunday.org www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs www.chiddlingstone.kent.sch.uk/homework/religion


3.3 Example hazards, 3.4 How to conduct a risk assessment

Health and Safety!Yes,wemoanaboutit,butwe’dratherthateveryoneissafeandthattheycanenjoythemselves.Withagatheringofpeopleofallagesanddifferentneeds,HealthandSafetyhastobeconsideredquitecarefullyandappropriatewarningsgiventothegroupmembers.Makeasensible riskassessment.

General – Some of these will already have been thought about with an official venue •Sizeofvenue–enoughroomfortheamountofparticipants •Trippinghazards •Flooring •Electricalsafety •Toilets •Parking •Supervisionofchildren–parentsresponsibleforownchildren •Safeguarding •Photopermission •Emergencyprocedures

Cooking and Eating – NB. it is easy to get a basic ‘Food Hygiene’ certificate by completing a short course on the internet •Hygiene •Foodpreparation •Keepingfoodsafely •Safetywithimplementsandappliances •Allergies

Gardening •Implements •Hazardoussubstances–slugpellets,fertilizers,pesticides •Soil

First Aid •Firstaidkit •Trainedfirstaider–thisdoesnothavetobeyou,butyoumaywanttolook

intocoursesinyourareaforthis •Accidentreporting–theydohappen


Feedback – How did it go?Whatactivityhaveyousharedinthemeantime?Whowerethe luckyparticipants?

What went well?

What is the activity?


What did your ‘seedlings’ gain?

Reporttoyourgroupandmakealistofsuccessesandtrickyissues: •Arethereanycommonthemes? •Whathelpwouldyoulike? •Howdidthemembersofthegroupcontribute? •Makerecommendationstosolvethetrickyissues.


Promoting your groupRemember–notallpublicityispaperbased.Uselocalradio,parishnewsletters,localpapers,socialnetworksandotheronlinesitestopromoteyourgrouptoaswideanaudienceaspossible–anditisusuallyfreetoo!

Yourlocalpapermaypublishanarticleyouwriteaboutyourproject,calledapressrelease–savingyoutheexpenseofputtinginanadvertisement.Localradiostationsarealwayslookingforeventsandinterestingitemsfortheir shows–givethemacallandfindoutwhototalkto,theymayeveninviteyoutotalkliveonashow!

Remember–whatdoyouwanttosaytopeopleaboutyourSS&Sevent?

Think–time,date,address,whattheycando,willthereberefreshments,isthereacost,dotheyneedtobringanything,howmuchfunwilltheyhave?

Strap lines – Make it catchy!

Ourposter templateisavailableonourwebsiteforyoutocompleteandprintasyoulike.

• word of mouth – talk to your friends and neighbours • leaflets in school • posters in local shops •

postcards to neighbours • interview on local radio • posts on Seeds, Soup & Sarnies and your own Facebook pages• posts

on Seeds, Soup & Sarnies website • advert in local paper • ask participants to spread the word • message on

Twitter • banners • texts to participants •


3.5 Insurance, 3.6 Legal advice, 3.7 Photo permission example form

Insurance – legal stuff!Public liability insurance •Whoseresponsibilityisit?Manyvenuesyouusewillhavetheirown

insurancebutitisalwaysimportanttoCHECK. •Alwaysgothroughyourownhealthandsafetychecklistremembering

access,electriccables,triphazardsandthatallfireexitsareclear fromobstructions.

Safeguarding •Ifyouhaveanyconcernsaboutthesafetyofachild,youngpersonora

vulnerableadult,pleasenote: •Ifyouareworkinginaschoolorwithacommunityorganisationtalktothe

headteacherormanager,theymayalreadybeawareofthesituation. •Ifthereisn’tanyoneavailableoryouareunhappywiththeirresponse-

writeeverythingdownsothatyoucanreportitlater. •Donotpromisethatyouwillkeepasecretwhichmayharmthepersonor

yourself,itisimportantthatyouletthevulnerablepersonknowthatyouwillpasstheinformationoninaconfidentialmanner.

•CallyourlocalSocialServicesdepartmentassoonaspossible,havealookonyourlocalcouncilwebsiteforcontactdetails.

•Please do not investigate any claims yourself.

Criminal Records CheckManyorganisationswillinsistthatthesessionleaderhasthisclearance,suchasChildren’sCentresandSchoolstodeliveractivitiesontheirpremises.

Ifyouarenotplanningonrunningagroupwithonlychildrenorwithonly vulnerableadultsyoudonotneedstrictlyneedthisclearance.Adultsshouldneverputthemselvesinasituationwhentheywillbealonewithachildorvulnerableperson.

Also,ifthereareseveralofyouorganisinganeventitisonlynecessaryforonepersontobecleared.Pleasenote:TheCriminalRecordsBureau(CRB)isnowcalledtheDisclosureandBarringService(DBS).FormoreinformationyoucanaskatyourlocalCitizen’sAdviceBureau(CAB)orlookonlineatwww.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/dbs/

Photo permission formsPhotopermissionformsareessentialifyouwanttouseyourpicturestopubliciseyourgroupsandevents.

Youwillhaveacopyofourregisterwithyourresourcepack,towhichyoucanaddthedetailsofyourevent.

Makesurethatpeopleknowwhatthephotosmightbeusedfor;especiallypointingoutifyouwanttoposttheirphotosonasocialnetworksitesuchasFacebookorawebpagelikeours.Wetendtolisttheseseparatelyassomepeoplearehappytohavetheirpictureinthelocalpressbutwouldnotwantittogoontotheinternet.

Bytheway,

didyouknow

thatpollenfrom

trees,suchashaze

l

andwillow,isfull

ofprotein?


3.8 Planting Calendar (www.eatseasonably.co.uk), 3.9 Bag Garden

Gardening activityMakeanoteoftheresourcesneeded:

Child Protection and Safeguarding SeedSoupandSarniesSummary •Ifyouhaveanyconcerns,aboutachild(somebodyunder18)oravulnerable

adult(anyonewhoneedsdailycare)pleasereadthefollowing. •Ifyouareworkinginaschoolorwithacommunityorganisationtalktothe

headormanager,theymaybeawareofthesituation. •Ifthereisn’tanyoneavailableoryouareunhappywiththeirresponse. •Writeeverythingdown. •CallyourlocalSocialServicesdepartmentimmediately,havealookonyour

localcouncilwebsiteforcontactdetails. •Pleasedonottalktoanyoneelseorinvestigateanyclaimsyourself.


Well done!1. Forthenextsessionyouwillplanandcarryoutagardeningactivitywitha

smallnumberofpeople. Bepreparedtofeedbacktothegroup.Howdideveryonegeton?Wasthereapprehension?Didtheparticipantsenjoywhattheyweredoing?Didanyonehavenewideasorcameforwardwithinformation?Howdidyoumaketheparticipantsrelax?Whatwasachievedduringthesession?Whatrefreshmentsdidyouprovide?

HopefullyyouwillhavesomephotostoshowandpostonFacebook.

2. Planashortactivitytosharewiththeothersinthenextsession.Bringresourceswithyouforabout3or4people.Thiscanbeacooking,gardeningormakingactivity.Itshouldnottakelongerthanabout15minutes.Youcanincludeinformationorinstructions,alsoanywrittenplanningyouhavemade.

3. Don’tforgettoreflectonwhatwedidtoday.Whatwasuseful,whatwasnew,whatyoumightneedmoreof.

See you next time!

Bytheway,

didyouknow

thatcoffeeisthe

mostrecognized

smellinthe

world?

How to plan a gardening activityWhat could you do?Tryoneofthesescenarios:

Youwillhavelotsofideas!Sharethemwithinyoursmallgroupandfeedback.Takenoteofanyideasfromotherparticipants.

ItisFebruary.Youaregoingtomeetinthelocalcommunityhallandthereisnoplantingspace.

Youmeetatanallotment.Thereisnomorespaceforplantinganything.ItisJuly.

Youaremeetingatsomeone’shousewhichhasabig,maturegarden,butnoplantingspaceforthegroup.Thegardenalsohasaveryhealthyvegetableplotandcompostbins.

ItisNovember.Therewillbeanumberoftoddlersattending.Youaregoingtomeetatacommunityhallwithalittlebitofplantingspaceoutside.


Session 4

Welcome back and over to you!Hopefullyyouhavebeenabletocarryoutanactivity,evenifitisonlywithsomefamilymembers.Shareitwithyourgroupandshowyourphotos.

What went well?

What was the activity?


What did your ‘seedlings’ gain?

Inyourgroupdiscussyoursuccessesandtrickyissues.Aretheythesameaspreviously?Anysuggestions?

Thinkbacktothemainissues: •Promotingtheevent •Enjoymentbytheparticipants •Achievementbyparticipants •Participationbyall •MessagesaboutSeeds, Soup & Sarnies •Healthandsafety

Youaregettinganoldhandatthis.Shareyourpreparedactivitywithinasmallgroup.Membersofthegroupspreparetofeedbackhonestly.

Remember: give two positives to one suggested improvement!


The Future of Seeds, Soup & Sarnies CommunitiesThe Cascading Model

In the Past •Engagingcommunitiesthroughdeliveryandspecialevents •Lotteryfunding

The Future •Furtherfunding(?) •Intermittentdeliverytosupportgroups •Sustainingengagementthroughself-motivation •Enablingcommunities •Trainingvolunteerstobeeffectiveinpropagatingnewgroups •Trainedvolunteerstohandontheirskillsandknowledgetoothersin

thegroups

Bytheway,

didyouknow

thatriceisthestap

le

foodofmorethan

halfoftheworld’s

population?

SSSParticipantsHandbookSession4 25

4.1 Fundraising

Funding and fundraisingA - Z of Fundraising IdeasTherearethousandsofwaysofraisingmoney.Herearesomethataretriedandtested.Thinkofsomeofyourownsuggestions.

4.2 History of Chutney, 4.3 Food Preservation

Cooking activity – Making chutneyAfewquestions: •Whythisactivity? •Howcoulditbeextended?–Thinkofotherrelatedactivities? •Anyparticularhazards? •Doesitincludeeveryone? •Anyplanningorresourceissues?

A – Advertisinginnewsletter

B – Bicyclerides, barbecues,bingo

C – Competitions,carwashes

D – Discos

E – Elvislook-alikecompetitions

F – Fancydresscompetitions,fairsandfetes

G – Graffiticleanups,guesstheweight

H –

I – Insertingaleafletintootherpeople’snewsletters

J –

K – Karaokeevenings, kids’parties

L –

M – Marathonsandhalfmarathons,makeandsellcraftsandproduce

N –

O – Oddjobs

P – Picnicsinthepark,penniesinthebottle

Q – Quizevening R – Raffles,recyclingnewspapers

andcans

S – Sponsoredwalks

T – Tombolas

U – Usedtoys,recordsandclothesforjumblesalesor carbootsales

V – Visitsandtrips

W –

X – Xmascards

Y – Yearplannersandcalendars

Z – Zestandenthusiasm,whichyoumusthaveifyouaretoconvinceothers


Food Preservation, History of Chutney

That’s it for now!Let’scompareyourpresentideasaboutSeeds, Soup & SarniesCommunitieswiththeideasyouwrotedownatthebeginningofthisprocess.

•Isthereanythingthathaschanged? •Isthereanythingyouwouldadd? •Isthereanythingyouwouldtakeaway?

Bring cake – have a party

Happy sowing!

Keep in touch and share your successes and plans

Keep Sharing!

Bytheway,

didyouknow

thatcarrotsactually

comeinarangeof

colours?

A big thank you to everyone!

What next? Keep sharing!

Find us on Facebook to share your posts and photos.

Visit the website for advice and inspiration.www.seedssoupsarnies.org

community garden leaders' handbook

Government & Nonprofit

soup sarnies communities

sarnies groups

different people

wider seeds

sarnies community tick

planning skills

sarnies project

group members