News feature

Cramlington Community Garden celebrates the Platinum Jubilee

Horden Community Garden

Growing in faith and fellowship

NORTH EAST ENGLAND

COMMUNITY gardens are providing spiritual, mental and physical respite for people in Horden and Cramlington. These outdoor spaces have been transformed, giving the community the opportunity to grow veggies, learn new skills, form friendships or just sit quietly and reflect.

At Horden Corps the garden is flourishing after receiving funding from Tesco a couple of years ago. Now financially supported by local agencies it remains free for the community to use.

Angela Huntington, the community mission facilitator at the corps, said: ‘My vision was to get as many people as possible involved in creating and maintaining the garden. I want it to be somewhere they are proud of. If they do the work, they can reap the rewards.

‘Everything we have done, from planting things and carving the benches to laying the patio, has been done by the volunteers with professionals teaching them. We are now offering people a level 1 gardening qualification with an outside agency coming to teach them.

‘We have different zones – a wild garden, an orchard, a peace garden and a rose garden. We grow our own fruit and we’re linked with another community venture, Hub House, where our volunteers grow vegetables and bring them back for us to cook or take home.’

Organisations offering mental health support or debt advice can also meet people there in a relaxed environment.

Angela continued: ‘People like to be outside socialising, working, meeting new people and creating friendships and bonds. Even if people do not want to garden, they will come and make cups of tea for the volunteers.

‘They get to learn about The Salvation Army as a church and charity, and that we are there to support them if they have other needs.’

The carvings on the benches include a range of quotes from the Bible and inspiring messages.

‘The idea is that God works everywhere, not just inside a church building,’ explained Angela.

A few gardening club members have started attending worship on Sundays.

Also in full bloom is the William Booth Community Garden at Cramlington Corps, which has focused on being an accessible space for all after the transformation of waste ground a few years ago.

Corps leader Territorial Envoy Susan Younger said: ‘People love to come and sit here quietly and enjoy it. Others come along and do a bit of gardening. They say that it’s so peaceful and tranquil, like being in a totally different place. There are a lot of flats nearby so during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when people didn’t have access to outside space, this was invaluable.

‘It’s got a grassy area for the toddlers and a gate so they can run around safely. Brownies, Rainbows and Guides also use it for some of their training. The kids love it and call it “the secret garden” because it’s hidden away behind our car park.’

The corps folk wanted an area accessible to everybody, so the garden has extra wide paving stones that can accommodate wheelchairs and pushchairs. They grow fruit and vegetables – including potatoes, onions, cabbage and strawberries – and sell them at the charity shop and coffee morning each Thursday.

‘There are also placards teaching God’s messages and flowers forming a cross,’ added Territorial Envoy Susan.

The gardens in both these locations demonstrate one of The Salvation Army’s territorial mission priorities – care for creation – and encourage a more responsible use of the environment. – AR

Sports and fellowship shared at Commonwealth Games

BIRMINGHAM

SALVATIONISTS stepped up to share in fellowship with others at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

More than a million people attended the sporting tournament, providing volunteers with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to love God and love others through their willingness to be placed where they were needed in the city and further afield.

Shortly before the Commonwealth Games started, the Aston 614 youth centre ran a sports community day for people who live near the venues but were unlikely to attend the events themselves.

During the Games, Birmingham Citadel’s volunteers helped, directed, celebrated and commiserated with people. They welcomed athletes and officials at the airport and train station, helped spectators refresh and refill, and listened to people who wanted a friendly face.

Andrew Dickinson works for the local water company, which provided free and sustainable water at each of the venues during the Games.

‘Working for Severn Trent gave me the opportunity to volunteer at what we have called “Water Bars”,’ he explained. ‘The purpose was to reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles being used across the Games by offering free water to people with refillable water bottles.’

Major Vic Kennedy, who works with West Midlands police as a chaplain, was asked to specialist security personnel drawn from as far afield as Australia to help with security.

‘I got to know many of these people during the Games and was seen as their padre,’ Major Vic continued. ‘We shared many spiritual conversations and our chaplaincy support was greatly valued.’

Throughout the two-week event, the West Midlands police chaplaincy team distributed around 1,500 copies of the New Testament to police officers and staff members involved in the Games, which were provided by the organisation Good News for Everyone.

‘The Commonwealth Games gave us the opportunity to share our faith in love and deed, which was a great privilege and also a huge responsibility,’ Major Vic added.

Rob O’Connor saw an advert asking for volunteers to help the West Midlands police during the Games.

‘I was fortunate to have two opportunities to volunteer,’ he explained. ‘In the days leading up to the beginning of the Games, I was a driver for a number of overseas security staff who were receiving security

be responsible for chaplaincy at the police command hub.

‘They seconded 3,000 police officers from across the UK to make sure the Games were a safe environment for the athletes, visitors and residents,’ he explained.

Army, fire brigade, RAF and NHS commanders were joined by a host of

Andrew Dickinson with volunteers