What we offer..
We have materials ready to go for many different workshops. We focus on hands-on activities which help people to grow in confidence, connect to other people and to get to know their local area and the people who live in that local community.
We are a needs-led organisation and we work hard to provide the activities people tell us they enjoy most of all
Here are just some of the fun activities we have organised in the past, please get in touch of you would like us to appear at your event and provide an activity, or if you would like us to organise an event for you.
Cooking
Out in the wilds, or indoors – we love teaching people to cook, and sharing the delicious things we make with each other.
We run campfire cook-outs, making dampers – bread wrapped around sticks, Cowboy Baked Beans (watch out for windy tents later) or even just s’mores.
We also like to grow our own food, and show people how best to prepare the delicious fruits and vegetables they helped to grow. We’re all about having a go yourself, low food miles and eating healthy and happy.
We also believe that sharing food together is a fantastic way to learn about different cultures and traditions, and we love to organise multi-cultural events.
Music
One of our best-loved workshops was making these little kalimbas. They are a small thumb piano, made from a wood off-cut and some hair pins, but for a small thing, they make a big (and hilarious) noise which I can only describe as a joyful BOING! sound.
A workshop which is fun for supervised young people and adults alike, everyone loves making these fab little instruments, and obviously also playing along in the big kalimba band at the end.
Growing
From mental health benefits just from getting your hands dirty, to the benefits of eating healthy fresh produce and reducing food miles – we know that there are all sorts of wonderful things that growing plants can bring to everyone’s lives.
We have a 60 foot poly tunnel with a community allotment in the heart of Suffolk, where people come to learn and grow.
We also sell plants to raise funds for our organisation and do outreach workshops where young people can decorate a plant pot and label, plant seeds and learn about how they can best use their space at home to grow plants.
Urban Nature Walks
You don’t have to live in rolling countryside to get in touch with nature. We like to explore the nature that lives on your doorstep.
Take a walk with our expert guides, to learn all about the plants and animals that make their home near your home.
Play nature bingo, draw a map of your local area, or even take a trip out with our expert foragers who will show you how to safely collect and prepare free food.
Want to get out and about and to share what you see? We have an expert wildlife photographer, who will show you how to use your camera (yes the one on your mobile phone!) to take amazing pictures of the things hidden in your local area.
Weeds!
Walk with us and learn what weeds are good for. From homes for nature to useful plants for us. We can show you how to make tea from dandelions, jam from blackberries and a delicious elderberry cordial which has more vitamin C than oranges!
Learn why it’s good to let a little of your garden grow wild, why we should be asking the council to not mow so often, and why hedges are so important.
Urban spaces might look like they don’t have many green spaces, but we can show you where nature is hidden, and why it is so important to make a home for wildlife wherever you are, even if that’s right in the middle of a town centre.
Lets get creative
There’s something magical that happens when we create things together. It’s a chance to talk while the hands are busy, to share our troubles, talk about what’s important to us, and to see how we can help each other.
We believe that creating things is a great way to realise that we can all make a difference, however small. To make something with your own hands is satisfying, fulfilling and once you know you can make something, you know that you can make changes to the world, however small.
I didn’t think you could just get food from bushes. This is amazing! I can’t believe I cooked this and everyone got to try it, I’m so proud of myself for being able to do this.
— J. aged 11
I stay indoors a lot and don’t really see anyone except when I’m at school. I have a lot of Facebook friends who will like my posts, but I don’t know anyone who I could ring up and talk to if I had a real problem. I just feel really lonely a lot of the time.
— D. Aged 13
Grow East Anglia 