Following careful and long considerations and consultations we have taken the hard decision to let our two allotment sites in Fenham and Walkergate go.
For the longest part of our 22-year journey as a charity The Comfrey Project was synonymous with allotment gardening. However, over the past few years, we’ve observed a shift in the demand for the types of services we’ve traditionally delivered through our allotments. When we began 22 years ago, there were very few support services offering volunteering opportunities, wellbeing programs, or social support tailored to refugees and people seeking asylum. Today, we are pleased to see a positive transformation as Newcastle now benefits from a growing number of support services providing holistic assistance, supported by a strong network and Newcastle City Council’s committed work as a City of Sanctuary.
Given these changes, we’ve reassessed how best to use our expertise and resources. For a charity of our size, we’ve determined that focusing our regular delivery in Gateshead is a better use of our capacity.
On behalf of our Board of Trustees: “The Newcastle allotments have been a vital part of the history of The Comfrey Project embodying the ethos and ‘sense of place’ that defines us. It has been a very difficult decision to give these up but changes both internal and external to the organisation have made this an economic and practical necessity. As we move forward concentrating our efforts at the Windmill Hills site, and developing new ways of working in the wider region, we will ensure that The Comfrey Project continues to grow and support refugees and people seeking asylum according to their needs. We’d like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Moorside and Whinneyfield allotment committees for their support and welcome over many years.”
In Gateshead the support system for refugees and people seeking asylum is still in its infancy and it struggles to meet the need that exists. With our presence in the heart of this community and our dedicated center and garden, we can provide year-round, holistic support to individuals, while we promote the development of the sector locally.
However, we are not going to be limiting our activities in one location and we still remain dedicated in providing support across Tyne & Wear.
In the past couple of years, we embarked on a journey to understand better what contribution we are best placed to make outside of Gateshead, and consequently we developed a flexible and sustainable pop-up working model, which we started piloting in Newcastle last summer, with support from the Newcastle Fund.
This approach focuses on short customisable courses and workshops that can be delivered at partner venues and organisations, with a focus on sustainable food growing, reducing food waste and stretching food budgets, as well as, wellness through food. The programme also includes local volunteering activities, confidence building training, while a ‘Train the Trainer’ component enables volunteers or partners to continue delivering on their own if they wish.
The response to the project has been overwhelmingly positive. One of the key outcomes that has been noted about this model is bringing individuals from refugee communities to venues and organisations they might not typically engage with. Confidence to work with these communities has increased for our partners, while the individuals we work with access new opportunities and services locally.
For a small charity like ours, this approach is more sustainable, financially smarter, and enhances existing resources rather than duplicating efforts. It allows us to continue supporting our community and partner organisations in new ways, that are more flexible and bespoke.