The allotment garden at Penrhyn House, later known as Growing for Change, started being developed in 2011. Paul Gordon-Roberts, a horticultural expert, was hired to lead the project and initial funding was obtained from the Groundwork Trust. The Growing for Change CIC (Community Interest Company) was launched in April 2023, around the time that the allotment garden at Penrhyn House was closed.
Paul is a full-time paid employee, receiving his salary from NWRC over the past five years or so. He is supported by a team of 24 volunteers, not all working at the same time, including the Chair of NWRC Trustees Sarah Flynn. After working as a volunteer for five years, Sarah Currie is now paid for working 15 hours a week.
Growing for Change aims to: (1) change the local food economy so that nutritious, organic produce is grown and made available locally, at affordable prices, and (2) help create positive change in the lives of people who have experienced substance use or mental health problems, and (3) challenge the stigma that is experienced by people with such problems.
Growing for Change is now located on Moelyci Farm, one of the UK’s first community-owned farms, near Tregarth. It specialises in growing organic salad greens, such as rocket, spinach and lettuce. In addition, it grows a range of seasonal organic vegetables, including tomatoes, kale, chard, spring onions, cucumbers, aubergines, peppers, beetroot, leeks, courgettes, squash, radish, Chinese cabbage and French beans. The produce is grown in poly tunnels and outside beds, adhering to ‘no dig’ principles and working in harmony with the environment.
The team harvests and packs all the produce onsite. Growing for Change supplies the cafe at Moelyci and a number of top-quality restaurants and cafes, including Bwyd Da Bangor. They also sell their produce at Llanfairfechan Food & Artisan market once a month. Sarah Flynn feels so proud seeing team members talking away enthusiastically with members of the public at the market.
The team prepares around a thousand jars of chutney a year. The produce has a good reputation and people keep coming back for more and more. Output will soon be significantly increased when big machines at a college in Anglesey are used. Crops from the allotment are used to make soups, which are very popular at the market. The soups, which are always vegan, dairy free and vegetarian, come in a wide range of flavours, including squash and chilli, carrot and ginger, spinach and almond, and leek and potato.
Some of the recovering people who volunteer at Growing For Change have not previously been interested in joining group therapy or one-to-one counselling sessions. Others have tried such sessions and not found them to be helpful. However, they find the environment at Moelyci Farm to be therapeutic.
Being out in nature and connecting with other people, many of whom have overcome adversity in their life, creates feelings of safety and security, which is key to the healing process. Stress is reduced, along with feelings of anxiety and depressed mood. Self-esteem and confidence levels are increased. People can take themselves off if they need to let off steam, or have some ‘me-time’.
Tilling the earth and growing produce give one a sense of effectiveness. They help a person build resilience and patience, and feel a sense of purpose and achievement. Participating in Growing for Change also gives people transferable skills.