The organisation’s themes: Ageing Well, Being Included/Social Inclusion, Citizenship/Community Development, Emotional Wellbeing, Environmental Protection or Improvement, Food and Essential Items, Keeping Active and Involved, Leisure and Hobbies, Mental Wellbeing, Physical Activity, Relieving Poverty, The Arts/Arts and Crafts, Digital inclusion
Who the organisation is for: Men and Women, Older people, People experiencing housing issues, People experiencing mental health issues, People experiencing Unemployment, People with learning disabilities, Tenants and residents
Organisation description: The willow hey community project has brought back into use a disused abandoned allotment site located on Doe Hey Grove in Farnworth on the cusp of Great Lever. The project was initially set up to tackle food poverty in the local community with lots of families having to use the local food banks. The project supports local families to grow their own healthy organic food on the site and expand into their own gardens to help support more people in the community by food sharing. We have since evolved in the last 10 years into a significant local community asset and has become a flagship for other community led environmental sites, allotments and projects. We have established a hugely successful men in sheds project which supports isolated, vulnerable men and offers weekly practical hands on woodworking, landscaping, food growing and social eating sessions. We have recently expanded this into a twilight session in partnership with Manbassadors and host campfire, cooked food, and a musician to help improve mental health outcomes for local men. The MIS project has been a huge success and has reduced social isolation and created a legacy of social networks, connections and personal friendships local men have come to rely on. The project has won local and regional awards for the impact it has had in the community and the project is continuing to grow from strength to strength. The project now has a Women of Willow Hey group, an arts and crafts group, a creative woodcraft and woodworking weekly session, Social Eating session and quiz weekly, Digital offer and free wifi, Bee Keeping, community meeting space, all year food growing. We host three annual events, Willow Hey Community Festival for all the community, Infamous Willow Hey Halloween party for all the local families, and a Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser. We are developing a local health and wellbeing day with health partners to help promote the benefits of the outdoors on you doorstep.
Where the organisation operates: Central and Great Lever, Farnworth & Kearsley
Location: Doe Hey Grove, Farnworth, Farnworth, Bolton, BL4 6ES
Email: michelle.sheree@boltonathome.org.uk
Phone: 07939273730
