Incredible Edible Knowsley Project

Horti-Culture

Horti-Culture is a project for young people, learning about growing and the arts.

At Court Hey Park we have Horti-Culture HQ the base for Inspector Hogarth and Constable Sprout who are PIs (plant investigators). They need the help of young people to help the to investigate horticulture. Young people will learn about growing from soil to fork, learning about what can be done with fresh food when it is ready for harvest. Learning how to make pickles, jams, chutneys and sauces. The will also learn the nutritional side of fresh food and Hogarth and Sprout will work on young peoples senses with them such as sight, sound, touch, smell. They will then learn how to express all what they learn through the arts.

Community food club

At Court Hey Park we work in partnership with The Big Help and provide a community food club. This is where people can become a member for free and have the opportunity to buy their shopping for wither £3.50 for 10 items or £5 for 15 items, this works out at 35p or less per item, some items costing £3.50 if people bought them form a supermarket.

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Horticulture with Incredible Edible Knowsley offers an alternative to day care centres as we provide a project that empowers people to focus on their abilities rather than their disabilities.  When people are involved in activities they become less aware of their disability.

If a person becomes involved in this project and works on an unloved patch of land that has been left to overgrow, which they then clear up and turn it into a vegetable patch producing edible food, it will then create a positive effect on their psych on self believe.  It helps people to recognise that they can have an influence on their own environment which will help them to find personal growth and enjoyment.

Being involved in horticulture is therapy as it improves the health and wellbeing towards so many people, as well as benefiting their needs.  Just some of the groups of people it can benefit are:

• Adults and young people with learning disabilities
• Adults and young people with disabilities
• Adults and young people suffering with mental health
• People in deprived areas or living with daily challenges
• Children and young people in alternative education
• Elderly living in the community or in long-term care or attending day care centres
• Refugee and asylum seekers
• People in need of rehabilitation
• Families

Video of How to sow a seed

Significance of Horticulture

Physical Benefits

Our project can be created to improve fine and/or gross motoring skills.  Phsical activity is automatically a part of horticulture, for example, walking around the garden watering food that is growing, is a natural part of the routine.  Physical exercise is more fun when it is purposeful and having more fun means more exercise.  Just some of the physical benefits when using our project are:

• fitness & burning calories
• Muscle toning
• Improves strength, endurance and flexibility
• Improves hand to eye coordination and motor skills
• Promotes a good night sleep.

Mental/Emotional Benefits

One benefit to engaging in horticulture is an improvement in confidence and self-esteem.  It can meet the needs of people with different levels of ability as horticulture can provide activities that are enjoyable and useful to virtually anyone.  Growing food, watching it grow and being able to create something, are all aspects of building a healthy sense of self.  Activities can be created to improve creativity and expressiveness.  The physical involvement such as digging, raking or weeding can be good ways in redirecting aggressive behaviour.  Some of the mental/emotional benefits when using our project are:

• Reduction in stress and mental fatigue
• Improves mood and increases confidence & self-esteem
• Increased pride in what has been achieved
• Inspires hope and helps to clear the mind
• Ability to express and control emotions
• Has a calming and healing effect
• Helps the body to regulate balance of chemicals in the brain

Social & recreational benefits

Horticulture can deliver a wide range of activities for people no matter what their abilities. This project can help to improve people's social skills as horticulture offers many opportunities for social interaction.  The activities can be completed in groups which help in working together; sharing and communicating well are natural parts of the process.  Whilst working on this project people wil learn social skills that are suitable for the work place.  Growing food provides a way for people to create something that they can then pass on to others, opening them up to another aspect of soical interaction.  Some of the social benefits when using our project are:

• Development of social and intellectual skills
• Reduction in isolation and loneliness
• Encourages communication & listening skills
• Creativity - being able to express oneself
• Nurturing responsibility
• Builds confidence and self-esteem

Educational & Employment Benefits

At Knowsley Community Hub we offer opportunities for people to learn.  We provide skills that can lead to future employment as each person who engages in our project will be taught the skills needed.  We will offer training to those who would like to take this opportunity further and the chance to go on to achieve some qualifications in horticulture, starting from entry level and then be given the opportunity to take further courses increasing their qualifications.  We will offer peer mentoring roles to people who have come through our service and hopefully employment once the project expands.  Some of the educational and employment benefits when using our project:

• Training, qualifications, experience, peer mentoring and future employment
• Functional skills literacy - labelling plants, reading instructions, etc.
• Functional skills numeracy - measuring plant distance etc.

Benefits to Horticulture

Horticulture is a healing and therapeutic activity that engages all people no matter what their background, age or ability.  It also brings people together helping those who are in disadvantaged communities.

Being in the outdoors growing food as an activity creates a feeling of tranquility due to the combination of fresh air and physicality of the activitiy as it helps to oxygenate the bloodstream and energizes the physical body whilst at the same time releasing endorphins that relieve stress.

Horticulture involves all of our senses such as sight, sound, smell and touch; feeling the textues of soil and the emotional satisfaction of a harvest.  It can provide a deeper side in a sense of belonging or a realisaton of an inner connection and a feeling of spiritual and/or emotinal peace.