Planting hope for a brighter future

The main purpose of Torridge Growing Together CIC (TGT) is to ‘grow people’ through meaningful and sustainable activities such as community food growing, conservation and repurposing/upcycling items that would otherwise go to waste.

We wish to address food poverty and associated poor health, tackle social isolation and loneliness, develop friendship and trust through working towards a common goal. We have a vision to be part of a positive change in the community and wish to empower people of all abilities to discover their strengths; develop skills; and have a purposeful impact on their local area.

Our ethos is to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued; recognising that everyone has different skills and knowledge to share. We can support people to access training opportunities as well as developing our own peer mentoring system. We are actively seeking more ‘Gardening Buddies’ to work alongside those of our volunteers who have support needs, perhaps due to lack of confidence or experience or because of physical/mental health challenges and/or learning difficulties. You don’t need to be a gardening expert but should be an enthusiast who is keen to grow using organic, sustainable methods. You should also be a friendly, empathetic person who is willing to have an enhanced DBS check (arranged by TGT) and undergo appropriate training. Please contact us if you wish to find out more about this role.

We have regular ‘Plan, Chat, and Learn’ meetings on Wednesday mornings, during Bideford Work Club sessions at Bideford Library (11am to 1pm). We also work at several different allotments and support other gardening/environmental community groups in the Torridge area. Please contact us for more details, as the outdoor activities are seasonal and may be weather dependent.

We continue to reach out to the community and local organisations who may have under-used land (suitable for growing food crops) and are also keen to be actively involved in local conservation projects. We dream of having our own workshop/greenhouses one day and offering supported employment opportunities. Again, contact us if you can help with this or in any other way.