A pioneering project aimed at supporting people to develop their skills and get involved in volunteer opportunities has continued to grow, building on the relationship between Great Yarmouth community organisation The Bread Kitchen and James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Members of The Bread Kitchen team and volunteers, and representatives from the project team, on the garden site next to the Burrage Centre on the James Paget Hospital site.
The pilot, run by The Bread Kitchen and initially supported by a £10,000 allocation from Norfolk’s Inclusive Economy Project led by East Coast College and funded by the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, recruits volunteers who can potentially go on to complete further work experience or find jobs at the hospital and other local employers, after being involved in the project.
In January 2023, the project began grounds maintenance on an area of land next to the Burrage Centre on the James Paget site. The Bread Kitchen coordinators and volunteers worked closely with the James Paget’s Estates team and the Organisational Development Manager to develop designs for the grounds, which will support use of the Burrage Centre as a staff wellbeing hub.
Volunteers recruited on to the project are given an induction to the hospital site, meeting members of the Estates team and training in using safety equipment. The project team is currently lifting turf from a section of the lawn to sow a mix of grass and wildflower seeds to create a small meadow effect, near to neighbouring offices.
The project provides opportunities for people in Great Yarmouth and Waveney who may need additional support, or face challenges in accessing volunteering and employment opportunities. The Bread Kitchen has obtained £12k funding from the Norfolk Community Foundation DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport) Know Your Neighbourhood Fund to keep the project running up to Easter, and are identifying further funding for the rest of the year.
Mike Smith-Clare and Cathy Cordiner-Achenbach, Co-Founders and Directors, The Bread Kitchen, said: “We are delighted to have started work on the garden. Not only does it provide excellent volunteer and partnership working opportunities, it will also offer an accessible green space for people to enjoy. Hard working staff deserve somewhere where they can sit and relax in a natural environment. We can’t wait to see it being used.”
The project is supported by a team drawn from representatives of The Bread Kitchen, James Paget, NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, and East Coast College, with the aim of reviewing progress, looking at other areas of the hospital site for future development, and providing more volunteer opportunities.
Jonathan Barber, Director of Strategy and Transformation at the James Paget, said: “We are delighted to see this project with The Bread Kitchen thrive, and the opportunities and experience it is providing to people locally. It is fantastic to see the hard work of volunteers transform our site, and both the James Paget and partners look forward to reviewing what the project can do next.”
Stuart Jennings, Projects and Communities Manager at East Coast College, said: “East Coast College are excited and proud to support work of such value. As a team we are looking forward to working with colleagues to ensure our local communities continue to develop and thrive.”