Success for South Shields gardening project

Holder House Project now has a base at Hedworthfield Community Centre, in Jarrow, in addition to its home at Holder House Allotment site, in South Shields.

The move is part of the group’s ongoing drive to provide a wide range of activities for people with learning and physical disabilities.

It will mean during the winter months the project will be able to offer more to those who access it, as well as link in with other community groups offering sessions of interest.

The additional base is the latest in a line of good news for the project after it was awarded £9,223 from the Big Lottery Awards for All funding programme, last year.

The cash was used to install raised beds and canopies to make it easier for people to participate in gardening and to provide activities.

Project manager Chris Convery said: “The project is going from strength to strength with lots more planned for the future.

“We’ve recently signed a two-year lease with Hedworthfield, which will see us using the centre as an additional base and have access to computers, a dance hall and outdoor all-weather pitches.

“We have been in Hedworthfield since the beginning of March and it’s going really well. The people love it.

“It also opens more doors for partnership working and we have linked in with the Creative Seed CIC.

“We are constantly looking for new ways to enhance the service for both adults and children who access our service and to give them more choice.”

Jill Charlton, assistant manager at Hedworthfield Community Centre, said: “It is great to have the Holder House project here. They have brought a new lease of life to the building and they are full of life and character, hopefully it will lead to a long-term future together.”

For information on the project and its Saturday and Sunday club, visit www.holderhouse.org.uk email [email protected] or call Mr Convery on 07824 560 147.