Ashley Community Housing: My Week With Netplants

Netplants partners with trainees

If you were following Ashley Community House on Twitter and Facebook last week you would have spotted various posts about my trip to France with Netplants.

Netplants is a multi-partner project that will run over two years and will examine how disadvantaged adults from across the UK, France, Spain, Ireland and Romania can develop skills associated with plants, vegetables and fruits to improve their all round wellbeing.

Aiming to reconnect people with the environment at its source, Netplants will demonstrate how plants and vegetables can improve our lives in a variety of ways. The project will assess the current skill level of each population in relation to growing, cooking, foraging and decorating using vegetables and plants. Once determined, it will then offer workshops and guides to improve each of these disciplines.

Farhan with Stu from Superact

Throughout the project, each organisation will work with local experts to develop workshops and manuals that will encourage local people to develop new skills related to growing, cooking, foraging or natural arts.

By 2017, it is hoped the project will have enabled many people facing economic or social issues across Europe to be more proficient in valuable skills including cooking, growing and natural crafts – all of which will improve people’s lives in a variety of ways.

Ashley Community Housing was lucky enough to be approached by Superact (the Netplants UK partner) and invited an ACH learner to be involved in the project as a trainee.

Me (Matilda) and Farhan on Cap Blanc Nez

We invited Farhan Ibrahim, who had previously completed Employability Skills course with ACH to participate in the project. Farhan is originally from Somaliland but moved away when he was very young. He is currently working as a health care assistant at St Michaels and the BRI Hospital in Bristol, he dreams of returning to his homeland and working on his family farm.

Commencing the exciting two year project were the host organisation Les AngesGardins in Calais, France. Les Anges Gardins is an organic farm which functions as a social enterprise. The organisation trains disadvantaged unemployed members of the community with farming and cooking skills. The produce that is harvested is sold and distributed in organic food boxes to customers. They have also branched out into using their produce in their newly built restaurant.

Garden box lasagne making

Throughout the week we participated in workshops revolving around gardening, foraging, cooking and arts and crafts. Learning ‘lasagne’ layering box gardening skills, foraging knowledge, cooking recipes and art decoration creativity.

It was refreshing to have a hands-on learning experience that included a huge cultural exchange of ideas, languages and knowledge. I am now really excited to use and share this new found knowledge to help the next phase of ACH’s gardening projects in the UK.

“It was great to part of the group experience, French culture, and to practice my French! I also learned so much, about work on a farm, organic foods, and healthy eating just by helping with the day to day jobs. They treated me like family. I felt included and I enjoyed myself. I’m so glad to have had this experience!” Farhan Ibrahim

READ SUPERACT! RESIDENCE WILLOW ARTISTS BLOG ABOUT THE WEEK HERE