We recently awarded funding to the Straw Patch Project, a Community Interest Company based in Ilfracombe. The funding was used to meet the costs of a lead facilitator for their weekly group of young adults with learning disabilities, who also have profound disabilities that mean they will require care and support for the rest of their lives.
In the weekly visit to The Straw Patch the participants were busy with lots of different activities, including gardening which involved sowing lots of seeds, and then potting them on after they came up, which has helped to encourage fine manual dexterity. They also prepped the beds in a polytunnel ready for the tomatoes, and planted seed potatoes which has encouraged team work and physical activity. They all loved getting their hands dirty, and learning about the life cycle of things that they could eat.
They took part in some carpentry on one particularly wet and windy day. They had a collaboration with the volunteers from Ilfracombe Mens Shed Project who kindly made up some nest box kits. They helped the group put them together which helped them learn how to use tools, and they had such a sense of achievement when they were able to show off the finished article.
Cooking was another activity where they made delicious sweet potato cakes, chocolate muffins and scones. They all worked up an appetite and were able to enjoy their goodies by the log burner after.
A crafting activity saw them recycling used paper by shredding and pulping it, and mixing it with wild flower seeds. They then pressed and dried it, and the resulting paper was be made into postcards and gift cards which would be planted out so everyone can enjoy the beautiful wild flowers.
The Straw Patch project reported how well everything had gone and their gratitude for our funding.