Attention all horticulturists, fundraisers and everything in-between! Incredible Edible Knowsley is planning a snapshot day in January 2022 for you to look around and see for yourself what we do here, and whether you’d like to join us.
Our project has seen staggering growth since its inception, with funding, volunteers, and help from local counsellors turning Incredible Edible Knowsley into a community hotspot where everyone is welcome. As a result, we think it’s a great time to encourage all community members to take a look at what we do here and see if it interests you.
Whether you’re passionate about horticulture, eager to learn, looking to make new friends, or just hoping to help your local community, you can join our current volunteers who have been with us for a long time and enjoy their time spent here: contributing to the achievement of our goals.
This snapshot day will include free biscuits, tea & coffee and a light lunch, with all of our staff working hard to inform you of our many volunteering roles. So if you would like to join us, it’s the perfect opportunity.
Of course, if you are excited about volunteering, there’s no need to wait. You can always visit our volunteer page where we will have information sheets pertaining to all of the roles we need. Simply visit us whenever we’re open to learn more or ask about an induction. We hope to see you on our snapshot day, if not soon!
Recently, a member of the Incredible Edible Knowsley community and a frequent visitor of the park since long before we were based here, shared her thoughts, ideas and praise regarding our efforts here and the benefits of our work on the wider community. She also gave her thoughts on the importance of inclusivity and mutual acceptance in order to be able to work together.
“A trip here on Fridays provides much more than food. Though I agree with the original ethos, ‘Food unites us’, it’s an essential part of our lives.
It doesn’t matter about age, gender, social class, ethnicity, education or experience. In fact, the more diverse, the better.
For me, it’s a dream come true. It provides affordable food for all in the shop. Maybe with enough demand the shop will be open more often.
Check out the free table’s healthy, organic food grown on site. There are plenty of people to help you with identifying vegetables and telling you how to cook them, store them and grow them.
It’s great being able to greet others at the brilliant Cafe, getting a cuppa, cake or biscuits from the smiling volunteers and having a chat with them. That’s a tonic itself after two years of isolation from lockdown. Enough fresh air and exercise to satisfy anyone.
This is not just about growing and sharing food. It’s also about growing a community. Growing healthy minds and bodies. Educating ourselves and the younger generation. Building social enterprise and creating paid employment opportunities and the skills required to pursue further careers.
I could go on forever because there are so many positives and no negatives. The only conceivable negative would be if we as a community don’t take this opportunity for growth while we have the chance.
So essentially, use it or risk losing it, support the efforts of those at Incredible Edible Knowsley and we can show the world and powers that be what can be achieved where there is will, passion and dedication.”
Sally M.
We here at Incredible Edible Knowsley would like to thank Sally for this feedback. We are all appreciative and have found your thoughts very interesting. We share a good feeling knowing that our efforts are acknowledged and are having an impact on the community. This essentially means that we are succeeding in our goal, and so, with this positive feedback in mind, we will continue to work towards having an inclusive, welcoming and accessible place for the community , volunteers and workers alike, and where both personal and professional growth are not only encouraged, but facilitated by everyone here.
With that said, if you have any feedback, positive or negative, feel free to post it to our community Facebook page linked below.
This week’s chat brought about a story from a hardworking father, new to the Incredible Edible Knowsley community but very familiar with the entirety of Knowsley and interested in volunteering; looking to bring his own knowledge of horticulture and gardening to our community project. Kevin had come to his first Community Friday with the intent of signing up to volunteer. After signing up however, he sat at our indoor kitchen for a free hot drink and biscuits, where we had a chat about fatherhood and motivations for volunteering.
Initially, we discussed his history with Court Hey Park, beginning with the old Wildflower Centre: the attraction which was previously in the location where Incredible Edible Knowsley now operates. Having frequented the park and Wildflower Centre, Kevin described how it was a brilliant place to come with his children for a nice day out, and how the transformation into what it is today is a productive change which retains the focus on plant life. Specifically, the preservation of the educational and horticultural value between the Wildflower Centre and Incredible Edible Knowsley was commended, keeping the natural, community-based feel of the allotment alive.
In addition to the maintaining of the close community atmosphere, Kevin also noted that both he and his youngest son have had a keen interest in horticulture and gardening for a long time, but had mostly only practiced planting and growing locally: successfully nurturing their own strawberry plants, grapes and conker trees amongst other things. This interest also was said to be massively beneficial to Kevin’s son, who has severe autism, allowing him to keep himself occupied, learn new things, and giving him a good way to bond with his father. Although these activities help Kevin and his son with a specific condition, he also stated that he firmly believes that anyone who wishes to start a hobby, whether to add more variety to your life, give yourself the daily social interaction you need, or just to keep you motivated, should look into gardening and horticulture as a therapeutic activity that you can do with others.
This conversation gave way to a discussion about a father/parent’s role, the importance of spending time together outdoors, and how it’s a great thing to share hobbies and interests with your kids: not only for the parents and children involved, but in cases such as these, for the community. If we were to zoom out and put these thoughts into perspective, it’s easy to see that learning about, keeping close to, and contributing to natural processes in the form of practicing horticulture can be massively beneficial to your life, even if it’s just keeping a little plant on your windowsill. That connection to nature can keep you grounded and help you in more ways than you may expect.
Since August 2020, Incredible Edible Knowsley has seen tremendous growth and development through the hard work of our volunteers, apprentices and staff alike. With generous donations from companies like The Big Help Project and Playground Imagineering, we have been able to continue and improve the work towards helping the community and passing it forward onto the members of the community who need or appreciate what we do.
2020
September
(9th) Kier Construction donated wood to contribute to the building of the outdoor kitchen.
(21st) The Big Help Project donated paint from their Painting Green shop.
(24th) Horizon Carpets donated and fitted carpeting for our rest area.
(28th) Volunteers, apprentices and staff harvested lots of food ready for donation to the Big Help Project.
October
(16th) Anwyl Homes and Tarmac helped to provide pathways to make the site more accessible.
(23rd) We donated the pumpkins we grew to the Big Help Project.
November
(13th) We community funded the money necessary to repair one of our volunteers’ damaged car.
(14th) Big renovations and improvements complete. Flower wall erected, seating areas made and more flowers planted.
(23rd) Mersey Travel donated bus passes for our volunteers who have longer journeys.
December
(3rd) Volunteers and community members built festive decorations.
(11th) Bird feeder repaired and wooden Christmas tree built by Alan and Bob here at Incredible Edible.
(29th) Washer plumbed in by plumber Andrew.
(31st) Christmas celebrated by everyone at Incredible Edible and achievements reflected upon.
2021
January
(7th) Tarmac and Playground Imagineering picked up our plasterboard and donated timber, allowing us to begin the construction of our classroom area.
(22nd) A new poly tunnel was completed and made ready for the insertion of raised beds.
(26th) The Men’s Hive group assisted with the installing of the raised beds in the newly erected poly tunnel.
February
(24th) After much hard work from those involved, our community shop became open to all who wished to become members.
April
(8th) Councillor Graham Morgan and Jan Owen helped to deliver emergency food to those in need and also provided young trees for us to grow.
(9th) A representative from Tesco donated some necessities for us to add to our emergency food packages.
(12th) Started the donation of food to Knowsley schools which spanned a few days.
(14th) Students from the University of Chester contributed to the design of Incredible Edible’s Horti-Culture program.
(21st) Volunteers came together for a meeting over cooked breakfast.
(23rd) Councillors Graham Morgan and Colin Dever helped workers from Kimptons to install an irrigation system into the poly tunnels, They also supported an initiative for bee hives to be added to court hey park.
(28th) All seedlings ordered by the community were distributed.
(30th) A student from the University of Chester came to cook a leek and potato soup, demonstrating the culinary uses of our vegetables.
May
(1st) Bob and Pete introduced as site managers and Nicole welcomed as a new admin.
(12th) Incredible Edible received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for three years.
June
(5th) Carmen and Nicole both passed their level 2 mental health first aid course with John Barry at Body and Mind.
(22nd) Noticeable progress had been made on our vegetables and plans were being made for when they were ready to harvest.
(25th) The Fire Brigade in Wirral donation kitchen equipment for use in our planned outdoor kitchen.
July
(28th) Treated timber donated by Playground Imagineering.
August
(7th) Pete and Lynn partnered with CPRE to create a children’s summer activity event every Wednesday.
(12th) My Clubmoor sent their Horticulture course members to Incredible Edible to celebrate National Allotment Week.
(15th) Tarin Engineering kindly designed, built and donated a ramp for our stage such that it is more accessible.
(21st) Tesco once again donated food and other necessities for our emergency packages.
Steve and Pauline are a couple who regularly attend Incredible Edible Knowsley’s Community Day which takes place every Friday in Court Hey Park. I took the opportunity to have a chat with them to see whether they had any valuable insights or stories regarding the community, the park, and their experience as a part of Knowsley’s community.
Firstly, the couple told me about their history with the park. They had been frequent visitors for many years, attended the first flower shows and had aided with a community food incentive before we had moved our project into the park. This meant that they had witnessed the development of Incredible Edible Knowsley, from the very beginning to where we are now. They noted that they had seen massive growth in volunteer and community presence recently and were pleased with the addition of ramps, pathways etc. which make the place more accessible to anyone who may want to join us or make use of our efforts.
Moreover, these friendly people showed a great example of how the community is willing to help others, doing shopping from our community shop for both her elderly neighbour and relative who is a single mother, who were not able to travel to Court Hey Park themselves.
Despite their prolonged involvement in the Knowsley community and Incredible Edible Knowsley, the pair shared a story not exclusively regarding horticulture, poverty, or mental health struggles, but rather a story of the importance of talking to people: more specifically, feeling as though you are able to speak to your fellow community members and not isolating yourself.
The story they shared is a sad but uplifting one, detailing their encounter with a man from Southern England in a coffee shop. Noticing the man sat very close to them taking care of his young baby, the couple said hello and made conversation. The man, not used to speaking with strangers around him, had much to say: opening up about his journey and sharing the story of his terminal illness and how it allowed him to fully appreciate the time he got to spend with his child. He clearly did not have many people to open up to and opening up to close friends and family may have been hard for him, as is sometimes the case, so he greatly appreciated the warmth and friendliness with which Steve and Pauline invited him to talk.
Our following discussion toured topics such as young people, coronavirus, technology and more: all in relation to the previously mentioned topic of being able to speak with others. We discussed how young people may be more comfortable speaking to those they don’t know online but may struggle more when they find themselves in a packed building surrounded by strangers, even if those people are friendly and inviting. We explored the idea that some people may have a lot to say to others, but may be too afraid to say anything, and the concept that the person you’re nervous to speak to may be in a similar position.
In effect, we agreed that it can definitely be scary to speak to new people, and some people do better in conversation than others, but you should never be afraid to say hello to a member of your community. After all, if we never spoke to anyone new, there would be no such thing as the incentives like ours which aim to aid the community and bring people together.
Do You Have Any Stories?
If you want to share an experience, discuss the work we do or just attend and get a free hot drink and vegetables, our community day is every Friday between 11 and 2. This is also when our shop is open for those who have signed up. Feel free to come along.
Incredible Edible Knowsley consistently sees the help and contribution of a diverse range of people. Regardless of gender, age or background, anyone and everyone is more than welcome to help us achieve our goals of assisting, educating and providing for those who need it or may not otherwise have access.
However, this article is written with specific attention given to the next generation of helpers: the under 25s. It is important to us to understand the motivations and opinions of young people in regards to community work in order to gain a deeper understanding of what we can do to encourage more young people to consider such work, as well as improving the experience of those who have already chosen to do so.
Namely, the young apprentices here at Incredible Edible Knowsley range between age 19 and 21, making them a good representation of those in early adulthood.
What do They Think?
When speaking with the young helpers, the goal was to find out their opinions of the work they do and the atmosphere here. The questions asked were set with this in mind.
What do you do here?
How have you found your experience so far?
What are your motivations for helping here?
How does this work compare to your daily life?
What is your favourite thing about working here?
What do you do here?
Amongst the apprentices, there were a range of different jobs, from the maintaining of the Community Day shop to the management of the websites and social medias. However, the one common answer from everyone was that, regardless of their assigned job, if they had nothing to do, they would go and help somebody else to get something done, showing an inherently altruistic nature.
How have you found your experience so far?
There was a unanimous sentiment of enjoyment amongst everyone asked, with specific reference to a sense of feeling refreshed and active. There was no mention of any dissatisfaction with the work they did, and an apparent appreciation of the ability to see the impact of their work on the growth and development of the community.
What are your motivations for helping here?
Through the answer to this question, it was clear that helping here was a positive impact on their social lives and mental health; listing benefits such as being able to have a routine, getting outside, staying active and socialising, as well as the common motivation of helping others. These motivations show an awareness and mindfulness of their own health and quality of life, as well as the ability to improve the health and wellbeing of others.
How does this work compare to your daily life?
There was a fair amount of variance between the apprentices with regards to how their work fits in with what they do outside of work hours. Some of them viewed their work hours as a pleasant break from an urban life, while some said that they felt comfortable working because they have done gardening and worked with plants in the past. Regardless, all of the apprentices claimed to have learned new things and experienced some welcome changes, working with new people and learning about horticulture amongst other things.
What is your favourite thing about working here?
The answers here were quite unique, with some valuing the community aspect and the socialisation, some appreciated the laid back atmosphere and preferred the casual working environment, and some simply said they enjoyed the plant life and helping to water and grow.
Councillors Colin Dever, Graham Morgan and Margaret Harvey
Incredible Edible Knowsley with their team of wonderful volunteers spent weeks preparing and organising for the day up at Court Hey Park along with the Councillors named above and some staff from Knowsley Council – especially Graeme Forsyth (Communities/adult social care team) and Chris Birtles (Environmental team based at Court Hey Park).
Supported by
Friends of Court Hey Park, Councillors Hughie Malone, Chris and Kevin Bannon and some staff from Knowsley Council
Organisation who were involved on the day are:
Alt bank
Atkins
Barclays bank
Community payback
Court Hey Methodist Church
Crime and communities
Faiths4change
Huyton Lane garage
IDverde
KHT/Vivark
Kimptons
Knowsley works
Myerscough College
Natwest bank
Oneknowsley
SSE
St Barts church volunteers
Tarmac
The costs of social value for this day so far was an amazing £377,700.00 and was kindly calcualted by KHT. This amazing figure just shows what organisation, communities and services can do when they come together. This is a brilliant example of Knowsley, Working Better Together
What was achieved on the day
Because of all these brilliant organisations coming together it now means that our community project is months ahead of schedual and we can now begin starting seedlings off earlier than what we thought, to plant out across the Borough. The work that was achieved here was amazing and we feel so honoured and proud to be a part of something like this.
Our large poly tunnel has now been reskinned which means we have a huge area in which to grow in and start seedlings off, because of this day we had the man power to do this as it takes a lot of hands to reskin a poly tunnel of this size. The foods grown here will be given out to the community for free and can now be achieved much sooner.
Both poly tunnels have now had water irrigation systems installed which will make such a huge difference to growing and looking after the foods growing. If it wasnt for this day we would not have this system installed probably not for another year.
We had a large team painting raised beds and shelving that are for the large poly tunnel. Over 50 raised beds were painted that day and a large amount of shelving. This would have taken us months to do and would have taken us away from other jobs that we can now do- such as growing the food.
We had another large team clearing out the compost bays and turning over compost as well as bringing in compost from the park into the compost bays. This takes a lot of physical hard work and I have no doubts there would have been a lot of aching muscles the following day after this acitivity, Again this saved us months of hard work as it is very time consuming.
Clearing up and weeding on site was done along with more painting around site.
A tyre wall was built which we will plant up with flowers that will attract more bee’s on site.
Railing have been cleaned ready to grow peas and beans along.
Tarmacing outisde of the poly tunnel means that this makes it more accesible for people wanting to attend site who are in wheelchairs. If it wasnt for this community day we probably would have been waiting another six months before this could have been achieved.
More work is still being done on site by these orgainsations and I cannot put into words just how much this means to us. These organisations have been absolutely fantstic, we have had positive feedback from the organisations and requests for more community action days like this.
We plan to have another community action day at the end of July and we are now working with Councillors Graham Morgan, Colin Dever, Margaret Harvey, Hughie Malone, Chris and Kevin Bannon, Friends of Court Hey, Flower show committee and Knowsley Council to organise this day.
Anybody wanting to get involved in July please contact me on
