Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Redcatch Community Garden
How it all began
A disused bowling green in Redcatch park, BS4, was spotted by locals as an opportunity to create a community hub. Today it is a vibrant and thriving space, offering a wide variety of events and activites, aimed to strengthen the community, offering social, wellbeing and educational opportunities to all. Plus a lot of fun, support and creativity linking people with nature and sustainable practices.
Redcatch Community Garden
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Community needs
Kate Swain and Mike Cardwell had the idea and saw the potential of the space. Their idea and dream to transform the old bowling green into a community driven space was also shared by other locals. They met each other via a friend at Bristol City Council.
Kate left her job to pursue this venture into the unknown! A big step with huge hope of positive change and reward benefits for the community and herself through building community opportunities. There are now 16 employees (8 full-time), 10 core volunteers and up to 20 volunteers that offer help at any given time.
Encouraging people to reach their full potential
Redcatch Community Garden
This is one of Redcatch Community Gardens values and a good one for sure – everyone has their own levels of potential and all should be encouraged and supported to reach them.
A lot of volunteers and community members part have received support from the Garden to help reach their goals and have a purpose. Read about their amazing volunteers (scroll down through the blogs).
Gardening for Wellbeing
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Lou is the Head Gardener and started off as a volunteer at the community garden. When Lou first decided to change her career from the mental health sector to become a gardener, she worked also worked at the community garden in the kitchen/café to help fund this transition. This was a leap of faith for Lou to change careers – a brave step that was fully supported by Redcatch Community Garden. When the Head Gardener position was available, it was offered to Lou and made her dream come true to work somewhere that she loved.
It is such a good feeling when people believe in youRedcatch Community Garden
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Everything grown (and sold) at Redcatch Community Garden uses organic and sustainable practices, such as the no dig method, having a fruit corner, a ‘wild’ area and their ‘compost corner’ on site. There is also a wildflower bed, which is particularly beautiful when in bloom. Food grown on site is used in the kitchen, plus flowers grown decorate the café area and are also sold on site.
Green social prescribing takes place at Redcatch Community Gardens, as a result of local community requests.
Local School Involvement
School Visits & Getting Staff Involved: School groups visit Redcatch Community Garden each week, bring 200 children in direct contact with sustainable food growing, nature and the elements. A lot is learned hands on, which inspires the children to bring back their family outside of school – an amazing knock-on effect.
Highly reduced wellness sessions were offered to local teachers, to be introduced to the space and experience the beauty of it. Also highlight the potential to maximise children’s education in an outdoor setting.
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Redcatch Community Garden Shop
Redcatch Community Garden
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
What the Community Gains
At the community garden, volunteers are welcome to help with food growing, learn new skills and be part of something important with like-minded people that want you to succeed.
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
Group Set Up & Funding Advice
- Redcatch Community Garden is classed as a Community Beneficial Society (CBS). Not a charity and not a business. This confuses the banks!
- If you are not a registered limited company (Companies House) or a charity (Charity Commission), then you can register on the Mutual Society.
- They would also like to own the property though a Community Asset Transfer (CAT). This would give Redcatch Community Garden more power to make their own decisions more quickly. They would also attract more funding bids.
- It was hard to get funding at the start! Because no one knows who you are or what you can achieve. Keep going! Kate and Mike set up from scratch – they brought the café and shop.
- The first funding came from Bristol Green Capital and community crowd funding, then further funding was used by Quartet for an ‘Engagement Lead’ paid role – Heather was and still is vital to further expand the business, by reaching out to key workers and organisations.
More Funding, Banking and Money Advice
After receiving funding from Bristol Green Capital, crowd funding and Quartet, funding also came from Power to Change, M&S Business Challenge, the National Lottery, Age UK and NHS Healthier Together. This enabled training and events for the community. Also once funding has been granted from a big provider you seem to be more trusted, so open to more funding.
Consultancy Advice
- Coop UK offered ‘brave’ consultancy – low cost advice (approx. £100) and asked about intensions, funding, charity options and explained what different options meant with recommendations to move forward.
- Social Farm & Gardens in BS3 offered advice regarding risk assessments and policy – giving real examples to help.
- Power to Change
- School for Social Entrepreneurs SSE
Working with Volunteers Advice
- VOSCUR volunteers helped for free and gave relevant advice.
- It is highly recommended by Kate to join NCVO - the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, especially when first starting out. When a member, you have access to their whole catalogue of training, advice and a lot of resources to champion the voluntary sector.
Sharing/Amending Policies from Local Organisations
Ask local charity organisations for help and advice – similar groups may share some of their policies with you so you just amend as necessary.
- Bath City Farm shared their health & safety policy to Redcatch Community Gardens.
- BAND – Bristol Association for Neighbouring Daycare Ltd helped with safe guarding documentation and procedures.
Money Matters: Banking and Accounting
- Banking advice: mainstream banks may struggle to open accounts for organisations such as the Redcatch Community Garden, due to the classification. Tridos or the Coop seem to have good understandings of community organisations.
- A good accountant will save you time and answer technical questions. Godfrey Wilson Accountants were particularly helpful.
- Xero Accounting software was a game changer in terms of saving time and enabling real-time accounting for decision making.
Redcatch Community Garden Shop
Redcatch Community Garden invests money back into the growth of the community offer.
- Café
- Plant Shop
- Food shop
- Event space hire (often sells out)
- Events
- Asking local businesses (Eg Estate Agents) to get involved to sponsor the Community garden or an event or have an employee engagement day.
Engaging with other Local Organisations
Redcatch Community Garden reaches out and engages with as many people and organisations as possible!
- Schools and education providers
- Churches
- Library
- To be featured on the amazing Food Network ‘Get Going Trail’.
- Local businesses for sponsorship
- Local businesses for special rates, such as Mad 4 Tools who sponsored equipment and PPE equipment.
- Existing groups to hold sessions on other nearby sites with different facilities/audiences.
- Local hospitals, such as the NHS Callington Road mental health hospital to offer outdoor settings for patients included in green social prescribing.
Redcatch Community Garden
Communication Tips
No marketing campaigns have been purposely not set up so that communication and growth is more organic – word of mouth is highly effective, especially when the community is invited to the garden in many different ways. Here is how events are communicated:
- Word of mouth
- At the garden, a few boards display upcoming events – there are a lot!
- Social media
- Website
- Local newspapers - South Bristol Voice and The Knowledge
- School newsletters
- Local football team communications
- Churches
- Local Councillors
Events at Redcatch Community Garden
There are so many ways to connect with the community at Redcatch Community Garden. Other than simply visiting there to look around, you can sit in the cafe with tea and cake, browse and purchase plants, flowers and local produce or take part in an event. These events are created through community suggestions and needs and change all the time. Check their event page for up-to-date listings.
Events that appeal to the community
- Volunteering in all areas
- Community gardening
- Art in the Garden – well being through art and nature. This is for self-referred people that feel they would benefit from this session.
- Happy Mess
- Meditation
- Green Social Prescribing
- Training events for the community
- School visits
- Your Holiday Hub, set up through Bristol City Council offers childcare (linked to nature, food growing and cooking) in the holidays with families that would qualify for free school meals.
- Peacefest event for refugees – helping integration through food growing.
- Pop up street food every Friday, with bar
- Music
Advice to set up your own group…
Redcatch Community Garden by Sophie Bancroft
“It is the best and the worst thing I have ever done” Kate jokes. “You must be resilient and determined”. Kate has faced many obstacles, especially over covid when it looked like the operation could not survive – but she dug deep and kept going. I am sure that the community in BS4 are happy that she did!
Ask for help - you cannot do everything! And talk with your community, listen to what's important:
Talk, engage and empower your community. Listen to their needs. Really listen. Everyone has great skills and knowledge personal to them – help bring this out. Everyone needs a purpose.Redcatch Community Garden Founder
Resources
Be part of Team Wilder
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