Community Unboxed
Community Unboxed celebrates the power of people coming together. Each episode is packed with stories, laughter and insights from our Community Connectors and the residents and groups they meet across our Norwich neighbourhoods: Mile Cross, North Earlham and Mancroft.
Join Saskia, Chloe, Rainy, Sonya, Claire and Ally as they drop in on local activities, chat with residents and uncover the special keepsakes people would place in our imaginary shoebox – personal treasures that represent connection, resilience and what really matters in their communities.
We’ll be releasing five episodes in total: two from Norwich City Centre, one from Mile Cross and two from North Earlham. Keep an eye (and ear!) out as we share them over the coming weeks.
Brought to you by The Shoebox Enterprises CIC - a social enterprise empowering people to connect with their communities and lead fulfilling lives in Norfolk.
Community Unboxed
S1 EP5: What We Build When We Build Together
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In this final episode of series one of Community Unboxed, we return to the Mancroft area (City Centre) of Norwich. The area pulses with community spirit despite lacking a traditional community centre, proving that connection happens wherever people choose to gather with purpose.
At St George's, what began as a small carers group has transformed into the vibrant Hotspot, welcoming dozens weekly. "It's a great sense of community that is lacking in most of society," explains Brian, one of its founders. This entirely volunteer-led space connects residents with wider services while fostering genuine relationships. Despite its success, Brian highlights the ongoing need for grant funding to sustain the work - the building needs renovation, and without it, these community groups could be at risk.
Music creates profound healing spaces through the Colgate Singers for Wellbeing. Members speak movingly about how singing together has helped them navigate grief and isolation. "I lost my husband last year and it's been lovely feeling safe here," shares one participant, while another who lost her spouse after 58 years of marriage calls it "the best day of my week." For newcomers to Norwich in their 70s, the group offers that rarest of gifts: new friendships at a time when making connections feels most challenging.
Abigail Taylor’s story shows how a personal passion for the arts, combined with frustration at the limited opportunities available for her daughter, led her to channel her creative energy into an affordable after-school art club. What began with four children gathered around her kitchen table has grown to twenty regular attendees. Her motivation comes from seeing arts education steadily disappear from schools: “It’s brilliant for child development, wellbeing and social skills, and it gives children a massive sense of achievement.”
Finally, we hear from Penny Chung, whose community garden at Sherbourne Place tells its own story of connection. During lockdown, her simple act of cleaning a dirty fence snowballed as neighbours arrived with pressure washers and gardening tools. Now with raised beds and council permission, the space brings together people who previously lived side by side without ever speaking. "Those young people that had been doing the vandalism, they actually did the first planting," Penny reveals, "I put them in charge of making sure that nobody trashed it and nobody ever has."
Feeling inspired? The episode concludes with a comprehensive guide to low-cost activities across Mancroft. Whether it's coffee mornings, lunch clubs, or children's activities, there's something for everyone seeking connection. As one connector puts it: "They've set these up to help people like yourselves... and there's literally nothing to be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable about."
Hear more about the insights gathered in our neighbourhoods by visiting www.communityconversations.info
There's something for everyone at The Shoebox, get in touch today to see what's on offer. Head to www.theshoebox.org.uk and get involved.
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The Community Connector project was delivered by The Shoebox Enterprises CIC and supported by Norwich City Council, with funding from the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund, and Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board's Community Voices programme.
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Community Connector Project Introduction
Speaker 1This job has physically changed my whole outlook on life . I've felt inspired by people in so many ways .
Speaker 2Yeah , just knocking on people's doors is just an amazing thing . You never know what story you're going to hear . It's a two-way street . You're listening to community unboxed , the podcast celebrating the work of the community connector project . In this episode , you'll hear all about the various goings on in the mancroft area , and we've handpicked a couple of sparks to talk us through their special item for our imaginary shoebox . First , though , chloe has been to st george's to speak to Brian , one of the founders of the hotspot , and he explains what this special place has on offer .
Speaker 3I think
The Hotspot: Creating Community at St George's
Speaker 3it's a great sense of community that is lacking in most of society . So it's good that we can come together and create a space where people can join in community life and actually come together and then that way we can outreach with other groups , with other services in Norwich to actually feed into , maybe , issues or problems that they might be having and actually give them a sense of community . That's what we're aiming for and that's what our hope is .
Speaker 1That's amazing . So what originally inspired you to want to start up the community aspects here at St George's ?
Speaker 3We started this actually because I was looking after my mother-in-law , who sadly has now died . But she had memory loss and I was her full-time carer and I said to Reverend Annie , why don't we start a carers group ? And the carers group was okay , but we weren't getting people as many as we wanted to . So we said let's switch it up and just open it to everyone . And then within a couple of weeks our numbers had just jumped from four or five to maybe 30 a week , and then from that we now have a children's music group as well on a Wednesday , and from that we now have a session for dads and young children once a month on a Saturday , music group that's for young fathers with children .
Speaker 1Yeah , that is amazing . I've come in here week after week and just seen the impact that it really makes on the community . What do you think the future looks like for here at St George's ?
Speaker 3It looks amazing . What we really hope for and what we really need ? All of us are volunteers , so none of us get paid . We all give our time freely , which is great , and it's great for all of our mental health as well . But what we need is grants and more funding just to keep the basics going . This building is in need of serious renovation and if it's not here , the community groups won't be here , and we've just started another community group on a Thursday from this at our other church at St Giles . But that can only happen if we get these grants coming through to enable us to do community work which is totally volunteer led . No one gets paid , which I think is amazing , but we do need a bit of help .
Speaker 1Hi , gerry . So you come to the Warm Spot every week . How would you say that the Warm Spot has impacted your life ?
Speaker 3Well , I live on my own and I find it's helpful to have a loneliness of people to talk to . It's very friendly in here .
Speaker 1So I'm now here with Rector Alaric Lewis . How does it make you feel seeing all these people here every week ?
Speaker 4It's fantastic , it's so nice that people feel they can just come and hang out and get some food and drink and have a warm and safe place . So I'm really proud of what we do here .
Speaker 2It really is a special place . Well ,
Colgate Singers for Wellbeing Group
Speaker 2it's not just been Chloe out and about . I too have been speaking to the very talented members of the Colgate Singers for Wellbeing .
Speaker 4Well , you can feel and see what happens here and what I take away always is a singing mind and , in my heart , out loud solos at home where , unlike here , my voice sounds amazing . The positive energy this has added to my life has made a big difference to a very stressy me . So thanks to Glenda for asking do you sing ? When we first met you now know that in between the croaking and miming I do occasionally , and to beautiful in and out , ever so talented Maestra Ellie and out ever so talented maestra Ellie . I do so much appreciate this informal warm space for us to laugh , cry and to make our sassy , jazzy , unique mute magic in our singing cell . Did you find it a supportive ?
Speaker 5group I do . I find it a really supportive group because I lost my husband last year and it's been lovely feeling safe here .
Speaker 7Yeah , my mum and I just joined together because my dad died in October and it was just something nice for us to come to together because I enjoy singing and my mum enjoys singing too , and quite often , you know , we're 30 years apart , so it's quite hard to find activities that we both enjoy , and this is one . We came just after christmas and we just been so welcome to the group .
Speaker 8It's just like a family , it just raises our spirits my daughter persuaded me to come lost my husband my husband in October and we'd been married 58 years and it was like I couldn't cope . But I come here . I'm not a brilliant singer , but it is the best day of my week because when you've been here with Ellie , she's absolutely brilliant . She is the nicest woman I've ever met . I walk out of here with a lovely smile on my face and I feel a lot better .
Speaker 9I'm Glenda , moved here a couple of years ago . We have a couple of daughters here , but myself and my husband obviously have no friends here , which in your 70s it's a hell of a lot harder to make friends . This group has been a lifesaver for me . I so much look forward to it every week and meet what I now consider to be friends . So , yeah , it's a wonderful place to be , Absolutely fantastic .
Speaker 10I'd just like to say that I really enjoy coming . It's just the community is amazing , and I've been trying to find a choir for a long time , but I didn't want to have something really big and out there , I just wanted something like a community feel to it , and it's brilliant .
Speaker 2You're listening to Community Unboxed , the podcast where we celebrate the sparks in our community who make our areas thrive .
Speaker 1Hello . So it's Chloe here from the Shoebox and we're back with our lovely guest today , abigail Taylor . Abigail runs an after school art club for children
Abigail's Shoebox Item
Speaker 1in the Mancroft area . In the mancroft area um , each time we start our podcast , we do ask for people to bring in an object or an item that means something to them , so we can get to know our guests a little bit better . Um , abigail , so what have you brought for ?
Speaker 6us today . Oh , hello , it's really lovely to be here and thanks for inviting me . It's really exciting . So , um , today I've got a photo , which has been a photo that I've just come across . I've just been sent in the last few days because I did a DNA test on my heritage .
Speaker 1Is that the one where you did the actual swabs ?
Speaker 6Yes , yeah , because my father was adopted and there's still a lot of blanks in his history about his mom so um , and he didn't know . He only had a name . That's all he had .
Speaker 6But recently , after um , after doing this test , I found out the whole history of my paternal grandmother , that's amazing and I found out that I'm welsh , part welsh , all her family are welsh , and then they moved over to Hammersmith so I've got a photo here . So this is Lavinia , this is my grandmother as a child and her brothers , and it looks like they're doing some kind of play .
Speaker 1Yeah , it looks like she's wearing a crown , and she must be about 10 . Yeah , I'd say she looks about 10 .
Speaker 6Yeah , and so I know that I can see that drama runs in the family because I've also got a drama background and the performing arts . So , yeah , this has been really interesting . I've been in touch with some family members that are still alive . So is your grandad still alive ? This is my dad . Your dad , he's still alive . Yeah , he's 80 this year , but he didn't know anything .
Speaker 1Yeah , so has , he's 80 this year , but he didn't know anything he didn't know , so has he not done . This ancestry dna is not really yeah , no , I've done it .
Speaker 6Yeah , I think it's still a bit kind of painful and raw for my dad , so I've done it , so I found out for him really so yeah , so what did you find out ? So I found out that she had had a child . Um , she had a small child , but she was unmarried , and then the father died in the war . And then she met my father's father and then got pregnant with my father , but then he died . The father of my father , my grandfather , died in the war .
Speaker 1The father of the father . The father of the father .
Speaker 9He died as well .
Speaker 6So she had two really young children and wasn't married and it was the 40s .
Speaker 1Yeah , you hear a lot about when it wasn't married .
Speaker 6Yeah , yeah so , but it's been amazing to find out and find out that I'm part Welsh . I know , can you do a Welsh accent ? I don't think , so that was better than I could have done . Yeah , so that's the object I brought today , do you feel ?
Speaker 1like that's . You've obviously spoke to your father . Does he feel like he's had some sort of void filled from finding out this ?
Speaker 6I don't know yet , because it's literally happened . I just told him yesterday .
Speaker 1So I've just let him process it and kind of wait for it to settle .
Speaker 6You know all the information to settle and then we'll have a proper chat about it . And it's interesting because the cousin that told me she went to university in Aberystwyth in Wales and I did too , and we were there almost at the same time she's only a few years younger , so it's one of those kind of coincidences as well .
Speaker 1So are these cousins that you've never spoken to before ? No , never knew they existed .
Speaker 6It's just nice to know .
Speaker 1It's just nice to fill in the blanks and kind of finally know . So Abigail runs an after-school art club
Starting an Affordable Art Club for Children
Speaker 1.
Speaker 6It's a low-cost art group , and what made you want to start the art group . Well , um , I mean , I come from a family of artists , so it's always been really important to me and I was , um , just kind of upset really that , um , they don't do it much in primary schools anymore .
Speaker 6There's been so many cuts to the arts because of um the focus on the core subjects and I think that's in part due to um the testing , the sats so all their energy and focus seems to be going on that which , and there's been so many cuts across the board , primary and secondary to um the arts which is just you know , really upsetting . I think it's really important . I think the arts are really important . So it was just my little attempt to bring in some more arts to my daughter and her friends , her peers . How old is your daughter ? So my daughter's seven . How did it originally start off ? So yeah , I just started it in my house , my tiny little terraced house in Norwich .
Speaker 6NR3 . And it was just for my daughter and some of her classmates that liked art , and I just kind of moved all the tables and chairs out of the way and we just did some lovely art . So that's how it started and it just grew from there really .
Speaker 1Yeah , so was it like your daughter's immediate friends or did you ask around at the school ? Yeah , I asked around .
Speaker 6I put a little message out on one of the WhatsApp groups , yeah , and I got a few responses back . So we just went from there . Wow so how many people used to come to your kitchen to do it . I think it was one , four or five .
Speaker 1Okay , okay .
Speaker 6Four or five , okay , okay .
Speaker 1And then when ? From that did you think I'm going to pursue it as a group and try and move this into an actual space ?
Speaker 6Yeah , so I think we started getting more interest from other parents and so we decided to move it into the local community centre and from there it's just grown and grown and grown in numbers . Yeah , we were able to get a small grant to get started from Norwich City Council .
Speaker 1We'll go on to that .
Speaker 6Yes , oh yeah , we'll come to that later . We'll come to that , but .
Speaker 1I suppose , yeah , once you've got more interest , those terrace houses , kitchens aren't very big , if I remember correctly .
Speaker 6And I think mine's even the smallest on the street , so it's tiny . Yeah , we just ran out of space .
Speaker 1Yeah , but I think it's amazing that you even invited you know people that you didn't know so much into your home to develop this with the children . I bet your daughter absolutely loved it .
Speaker 6Yeah , yeah , I mean , we're both social people as well , so it was lovely to meet people and get closer to some of the other mums and let the kids do art and , you know , be creative , have fun .
Speaker 1So you touched on briefly about how you got some small start-up grants from Norwich City Council . Yes , yeah , and how did ?
Speaker 6that come about ? Well , yeah , and how did that come about ? Well , hello , that was yourself as a community connector . We got chatting and you were able to point me in the right direction and really help get kind of get started and introduced me , I think , to Judy .
Speaker 1Yeah , so well , I introduced you to Martin Hart who then put you on .
Speaker 1So , martin , Hart is the community enabling officer , that's right yeah , so that's who we work in close partnership with via Norwich City Council . So when I heard about you wanting to start this group , I was like , yes , you've got to do it . This will , you know , be amazing and I think as well . Like you touched on briefly earlier , there isn't much in the area for children , especially at low cost . I think that's really important thing to add . Like my child , my children have gone to art things in the area at other places and they're so expensive and not everyone can afford to pay . Yeah , 80 120 pounds for a course , an art course . Yeah , so it does make it accessible to everyone , which I loved , that concept to it . Um , and I think that was why I was really pushing for this to go .
Speaker 6That's my main ethos is yeah , you know it has to be affordable . Some people have said to me you know you could get away with charging more , but then it's not accessible to everyone , like it would be if there was more arts in schools .
Speaker 6All the children get to do it . So why , if it's out of school , you know why can't all children do it ? I think every children has a right to an after school club and to the creative arts , so that's always going to be . My mission is to keep it affordable and it's been really lovely to work face to face with people yeah , in the community and give something back to the community as well .
Speaker 1It's been really good . So who are you currently funded under ?
Speaker 6is that oh yeah , so at the moment we've got a bit quite a big grant from the freeman's charity , norwich freeman's charity so they gave us enough for a year . Um , and it also will pay has paid for the art exhibition that we had a few weeks ago yeah , so what things have you ?
Speaker 1what thing goes on at art club , like , do you have themes ?
Speaker 6yes , so each term we have a loose kind of theme , so it's been nature community , I can't remember , but it will come to me later so I will add in here .
Speaker 1So me and my youngest now attend art club and I just want to say firsthand how amazing it is and how much that my daughter enjoys it . My favorite is probably when we done like norwich mark . I love the Norwich Market week when we've made all the stalls . Yeah , I think that's really good . Yeah , that's gone down really well .
Speaker 6I've had so much positive feedback about that particular piece from the exhibition and there may be the opportunity to show it in City Hall . Oh , have it displayed somewhere in City Hall , so yeah it's brilliant . They've all done their own little stall , and then we put it all together and it's inspired by Norwich Market .
Speaker 1You've also done a trip out as well ?
Speaker 9Yes , oh , yes , that we attended .
Speaker 1And was that through ? How did that come about ?
Speaker 6So that was um judy . She gave us the link to an aviva grant and it was aviva in connection with norwich river , norfolk riverways , okay , um , and that was for trips into nature , for yeah , so we went to well , yeah , it was lovely .
Speaker 1It was because it was it was summer , but it was a little bit chilly yeah , I can remember there was a little
Speaker 6bit of rain , a little bit of rain but that didn't mess up the day .
Speaker 1It was still a great day and we went on the beach and done you know you have packs for the children and a free lunch yeah , we had a free
Speaker 6lunch and we got up , they've got an art , a bag of art materials , yep , and they were able to do sketches and make art and be inspired by nature . And then we bought a few items back and then it also the grant also paid for an artist who specializes in nature , art inspired by nature . So , um , when we came back , we bought the items that we um collected and rachel , she did a workshop with clay , clay imprints how many people do you have attending art club at the moment , then ?
Speaker 6well , we've just on the back of the exhibition . We've had quite a few more children , yeah , so we're actually at capacity now , but we do . We probably have up to 20 , I think that , considering it started from four people in your kitchen .
Speaker 1Yeah , to now 20 regular children from the area and that's the current children .
Speaker 6But over there . Now we've , I think since we've very first started in my room . It's been nearly two years now , but in that two years it's been way more than 20 yeah children coming and going . Yeah , probably double that .
Speaker 1That's amazing yeah , and that's all people that are accessing art . That wasn't before , which is yeah , the most crucial bit of that . So , abigail , what does the future hold for art club ? Do you want to grow it more ? Are you happy how it's going at the moment ?
Speaker 6yeah , I'd love to grow
Future Plans for Arts Tables
Speaker 6it more . Um , obviously at the moment I'm doing it free , so to grow it anymore I would need give myself a little bit of a wage . Um , you know the idea , the kind of big idea at the moment is turning it into a cic so we can set up more groups and incorporate the other arts like I also have a drama background , so having a drama group would be amazing that would
Speaker 6be amazing even we've even had ideas about creative cookery classes , all kinds of ideas but to do that I think we need to change it into a CIC , so it's just kind of working towards that at the moment . We've also had quite a few children that haven't been able to manage because our group is very energetic and loud .
Speaker 1It is very energetic and loud , A bit crazy at times a bit chaotic .
Speaker 6We really want to set up a smaller , quieter group because there's been some children who are neurodiverse who haven't quite been able to manage the kind of sensory aspect of it . So , we want to . I'm really , really passionate about setting up a smaller , quieter , low sensory group , so that's why I'm trying to find funding at the moment .
Speaker 1Have you got ?
Speaker 6any volunteers . So we yeah , we formed the association , which is a group of mums , and they've been all multi-skilled and from different disciplines and have been really helpful , and we also have a volunteer , and everyone's been incredibly supportive . I think the next thing is finding a few more people that are perhaps artists or drama people that want to set up their own Well , are interested in working with children and setting work . You know , having their own company , or you know ?
Speaker 1And growing on from that ? Yeah , I think so . Getting more people involved in the arts With a shared vision yeah , I love that Shared vision . I love that she's efficient . So , abigail , has there been any sort of success or things that you haven't expected in this process of setting up ?
Speaker 6Yeah , well yes , definitely on a personal level . I'm quite new to Norwich , especially when we first started . I've only been living in Norwich coming up for four years but yes , it's been a really nice way of integrating myself into the community , meeting people , meeting friends . For Kaya to meet you know a good social circle , but also to give something back to the community , and I saw gaps around , you know , and filling that gap , yeah , it's been lovely . I'm so glad I've met all you guys .
Speaker 6It's been really lovely , and also it's bringing together the different schools as well , which has been really interesting . And we've just been asked to do a little event at St Clement's School as well . Tell me more To have some arts table tables some craft and art at their disco . Oh , that's great . They're hiring a community centre and having a big disco event thing for the school . So we've been asked to join in on that and that's our first kind of paid gig . It's not paid very much , but you know it's a start .
Speaker 1Still it's the start .
Speaker 6Yeah , so that's really interesting . Start as we mean to go on as they say .
Speaker 1So what has the art group brought to your life on a personal level ?
Speaker 6Oh , it's brought loads actually . It's been amazing . It's been so positive for both of us . It's brought friendship , it's brought a kind of sense of belonging and also a sense of duty . But I think also I think because I work online it's been so lovely to do face-to-face , because that's more in line with my training . I trained as a drama therapist , so we use a lot of the arts as well .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 6And I've always worked after I graduated . I always worked in schools with children , but then for the last nine , ten years I've been working online . So it's brought back all those old skills that I have and it's just been really lovely to kind of really see how much of a benefit does bring the children and watch them create and I'm so passionate about children's art and seeing it's just beautiful .
Speaker 1You're a great person to do it . You're so good with the children , so attentive . I think so . Do you have social media ? Are we on social ? We do .
Speaker 6I'm planning to do a website at some point , but at the moment we're just on Instagram , facebook . Yeah , arts Table Norwich for Instagram , and then it's just Artstable on . Facebook . Artstable2023 at gmailcom .
Speaker 1So you said how passionate you were about children's art , and why is that ?
Speaker 6Well , I think the arts are very , very good for children and this is why it's so disappointing that it's been cut from the curriculum , basically . So it's been cut , you know , from many from the curriculum , basically , um , so it's really . It's brilliant for child development , um , it's good for well-being , it's good for social skills and , um a sense , you know , it gives children a massive sense of achievement . So it really boosts self-esteem in many different ways . There's no right or wrong . There's no rules .
Speaker 1That's what I love about art , there's no rules and anything can be art , but I have noticed , like in my own daughter since going to art club she's definitely become more artistic at home . She wants to spend more time at home doing arts and crafts and less time you know mum . Can I have the iPad ?
Speaker 6That's amazing . That's so good to hear . We've definitely grown our art supplies . That's brilliant . That's so good . She's great at art as well . She's really brilliant . She really kind of listens to what I'm saying , the ideas , and takes it on and , you know , produces this amazing . Yeah , she loves it .
Speaker 1Yeah , she loves arts and crafts .
Speaker 9At home they're kids and I think it's really important to just let them explore what they love , so it can be messy .
Speaker 6Yeah , something we've got in trouble for a little bit over the years in the various halls that we've there we are .
Speaker 1That's part all part of it , yeah , all part of it , yeah , but yeah , it's kids full stop , isn't it ?
Speaker 6and it's creating . You know that's what art is . Isn't it creating something out of chaos , out of ?
Speaker 1mess out of emotions , making sense of the world , making sense of themselves .
Speaker 6That's why it's so good for wellbeing . It's been proven to be very good for wellbeing , so I'm just fighting my little corner for the arts .
Speaker 1I'll continue to do so yes , because this is what we need . We need more people like you in the community . I think I'm in awe , so , on that , I want to say a massive thank you for coming here today and giving up your precious time to speak to me . Before we go , do you have any tips that you would give someone who wants to start up their own group in something that they love or feel passionate about ?
Speaker 6yeah , just go for it , don't be afraid be a pioneer , just try it out , you've got nothing to lose . Find you know , find the kind of interest as well , do a bit of research , find the interest and be you know . If you want to see change , be that change . As the famous phrase goes , be the change that you want to make . Yeah , so yeah , I think on that note lovely . Thank you so much , abigail .
Speaker 1Okay , thank you , and I'm so excited , yeah , and I'm so excited to see what the future holds for arts tables so today I'm talking to penny chung , who is the operator of a community garden up at Sherbourne Place .
Speaker 2Did you bring along
Penny's Community Garden at Sherbourne Place
Speaker 2an item to put in the shoebox ?
Speaker 5Yes , I brought along some leaflets that we've been giving out on our community , which is an estate , and we had a family bulb planting session last October which lots of neighbours and their children joined in , and then they've all come up beautiful crocuses and daffodils . Just recently and then very recently , we've had a wonderful grant from Love Norwich so that we could build raised beds for growing fruit and vegetables . So I've got a leaflet here saying have fun growing community fruit and vegetables . And so I've got a leaflet here saying have fun growing community fruit and vegetables and it talks about when we can all join in to do that together on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons .
Speaker 2That's great , penny . Thank you , so I'll pop that into the shoebox . So , Penny , can you tell us a bit about your community garden and what inspired you to start it ?
Speaker 5Well , it started in lockdown . Actually , I live on Sherbourne Place estate , which is combined with Music House Lane estate , which is in the centre of Norwich , and during lockdown , obviously we all had to stay in . And I was looking out all the time from my bedroom window at this horrible , dirty , mouldy fence , thinking , oh , wouldn't it be lovely if we could cover it with something beautiful like sweet peas or something . And then I thought well , if we're going to do that , then we need to clean it first . So I went out with a little cloth and started cleaning it . And then a neighbour came along and said oh , what you need is a pressure washer . And they'd got one . So we started pressure washing it .
Speaker 5And then another neighbour said oh , oh , what you need is somebody with a brush to get all the mold off . So they started joining in with a brush . And then somebody else said oh , you know , it'd be good if I could sweep up all the mess that you're making on the floor . So they started doing that . So it snowballed from there and we got it all cleaned up the fence . And then we started digging beds , just at the borders , at the edges , where it was all weeds . So you know , we weren't like digging up the council's grass , we were just like clearing borders at the edges where it was all weeds . So you know , we weren't like digging up the council's grass , we were just like clearing the weeds at the edges and we started growing beans and tomatoes and Chinese radishes and things like that .
Speaker 2And so what have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced when setting up the garden ?
Speaker 5Well , initially setting up it was great because people had nothing to do and they loved it . And what was so wonderful about it was that people were working alongside each other , weeding , and you know , people said before we never knew our neighbours . And then we were working alongside each other , they got to know their neighbours , which was lovely . Challenges were once lockdown ended and then obviously people went back to their usual lives and so didn't have as much time to put into it . So then that's when it sort of fell a bit more on my shoulders and another older lady from the community- how do you encourage local residents to get involved with the garden ?
Speaker 5Well , basically it's by word of mouth .
Speaker 5Obviously we had the original people who were helping , who I kept encouraging to help , and it's been troddling along .
Speaker 5But we've been asking , when various groups from council or I don't quite know what other facilitators came along and I've been asking very much for raised beds because then we would really , you know , have a good boundary between what the council cuts and where the community vegetables grow .
Speaker 5And anyway , finally , the community enabling officer called Martin was brilliant . He said well , we know we need to get official permission from the council and then you could get a Love Norwich grant , which are available , and it all had to be done very quickly and the application procedure was quite foreboding . But he said no worries , I'll come around and I can help you fill in all the forms . And that's what he did and it was absolutely wonderful . So it was facilitated by Martin Hart , who's a community enabling officer , and he got us the permission to cultivate all the way along the fence that we can have raised bed there and also another bit of waste ground that we're going to grow blackberries on , because there were blackberries growing behind a fence , out of reach , that children were longing to pick but couldn't because it was out of reach . So these are going to be all on some waste ground where the children can reach them ground where the children can reach them .
Speaker 2That's amazing , yeah . And how do you ensure that everyone in the community , regardless of their background or their abilities , feels welcome and included ?
Speaker 5I actually we printed some little leaflets and I actually went door to door personally , knocking on every home in Music House , lane and Sherbourne Place and explained to them what we were doing , invited them along , and everybody was so enthusiastic about it . They were all really keen and it was amazing because , when you know , these last two weekends we've been working really hard Saturday and Sunday afternoons and we've had more than 20 local residents who didn't know each other before , all working together and becoming friends , so it's been wonderful .
Speaker 2Can you share a memorable moment from your time working in the garden that stands out for you ?
Speaker 5Yes , I mean like two weeks ago , after we had the first session to clear the ground ready for the raised beds . It was amazing because by the end of the session people were swapping phone numbers and then I met some of the neighbours just around the community and they said that you know , they'd now made friends with people as a result of that session , that you know people they didn't know before . So that was just brilliant , because to me that's what it's all about . You know the fruit and the vegetables are all very well , but that gives us a reason to it's building community . It's helping people who are isolated and don't know their neighbours to get to know their neighbours and then we can support each other in the community . So to me that's what's really memorable and special when you see connections starting to be made and people starting to get to know each other and be friends and support each other .
Speaker 2That's brilliant , penny , yeah , amazing . And what's next for the community garden ? Are there any exciting plans or upcoming projects ? Well , yes , and what's ?
Speaker 5next for the community garden ? Are there any exciting plans or upcoming projects ? Well , yes , I mean it's all happened very quickly recently , in that we've just assembled , last week , this 16-metre long raised bed , so now we've got to , you know , fill it and start growing in it . I really hope that you know , the enthusiasm and momentum of the last two weeks will be able to keep going so that we can fill that raised bed and there's other areas that we're allowed to cultivate as well and that you know , we'll be able to clear them , plant things . I really hope that the you know what we grow will be successful , that it'll grow well and that we'll all be able to take responsibility , like it won't be always me that has to do the watering every day and go out every night and deal with the slugs and that type of thing . I really hope that it can be . It's a community project , it's not my project . I'm I'm just like , hopefully a facilitator to enable this to happen , so that it can actually happen , even if I'm not able to be there .
Speaker 2So , penny , how do you envisage the role of community gardens sort of evolving in the future , especially in urban or underserved areas ?
Speaker 5Well , I think they're just a great way of bringing neighbours together , enabling people in a community to support each other . Also , you know , as prices of things go up , I think it'll be great if we can produce our own fruit and vegetables and then it might lead on to , you know , sharing recipes and helping people to . Maybe , you know , if they haven't had the experience of knowing how to cook fruit and vegetables , maybe they , you know , we might be able to share recipes of how to do that , so that maybe the health of the children could improve and also that children will get to know where food comes from and how it's grown .
Speaker 2Did you worry about vandalism at all , for instance ?
Speaker 5When I was looking at this dirty fence , originally there were some children of the area , obviously totally bored , and they were shaking the fence and climbing on it and climbing on the sheds and whatever . And then I was sharing with various neighbours that you know about my idea of cleaning up the fence and the area in front of it so that we could have a community garden there . And they just said to me oh , it'll never work , you know , it'll all just get vandalised . And I said , no , no , my idea is that we involve those who are doing the vandalism so that they take ownership of it . And it was wonderful because those young people that had been doing the vandalism , they actually did the first planting and I put them in charge of making sure that nobody trashed it and nobody ever has and their families have actually been quite involved in it . So it's been brilliant from that point of view . We haven't ever had anything vandalised or trashed , even though people did worry that that would have been an issue . It never has been , which is wonderful , do you ?
Speaker 2think people in general are waiting to be asked to get involved in community projects .
Speaker 5Yes , I think so because I think the problem on estates is often we live our own lives but people don't get to know each other . And I think for mental health it's so positive to be able to get to know your neighbours , to be able to know that
Building Community Through Shared Gardening
Speaker 5you know you could go to someone if you needed to . And also , you know , I meet people on the estate who've maybe got quite severe mental issues . One of them in particular said I'd love to get involved in it . He said I think that's supposed to be . Gardening is supposed to be really good if you've got mental health issues , and so , yes , I hope it will really develop into something much more and much bigger . But obviously I can't do that on my own .
Speaker 5You know , once we've got more people regularly involved and committed so that's not just reliant on me it will be involved and committed , so that it's not just reliant on me . It would be wonderful if it can become a community hub where people can come and just , you know , chat and talk and drink tea as well as you know , doing weeding and gardening . But yes , it would be wonderful if it could be so much more , so that the whole community , the whole spirit of the community could be improved . You know there's a lot of hopelessness . There are quite a few homes that are used for homeless people . There are also , unfortunately , there are homes that are used for drug dealing and that type of thing and obviously it would be wonderful if those you know , things that are not good on the estate , could actually be transformed and the people you know feel valued and want to be part of the estate and therefore want to look after it and want to look after their neighbours as well .
Speaker 2Yeah , that's awesome , Penny . That's lovely to hear . I look forward to dropping in in the summer to come to some of your events . That would be amazing . What would be your key piece of advice for people wanting to set up their own community gardens ?
Speaker 5Don't be worried that it's only really small . I mean for me , you know , everybody you know talks about it and I just say , oh , it's really small , but don't be worried that it's small . But also , yeah , get a group of people behind you , because you can't just have one person doing it . You can't be there every single week of the year . So , yes , if you can get a group of you , that is really helpful , I think .
Speaker 2So , Penny , what do you hope listeners will take away from your story and the work being done through this community garden ?
Speaker 5I hope they'll take away that . You know it's nothing special about me . It's something that you could do because I'm not a gardener . I just put in stuff and hope for the best . Really , obviously , I do a little bit of reading . But yes , go and do it where you live and just start small and get other people together around you .
Speaker 2And finally , penny , thank you so much for your time today . What do people do in the area if they want to come along and get involved ?
Speaker 5Yes , oh , that would be brilliant what we've actually done . Obviously , anyone can help at any time , but I know that people find it hard . You don't know when to come , you don't know what to do if you do come , and we have arranged that we're actually someone is going to be there every Saturday and every Sunday , unless it's particular holidays , like we had the weekend off for Mother's Day . Between two and four on Saturdays and Sundays someone will be there and so we can actually work together and you know we'll have ideas of what would be good to do on that week . So every Saturday , every Sunday , between two and four , at the Sherbourne Place Music House Lane Community Garden , which is just beside the Sherbourne Place car park , behind the sheds and the long white fence .
Speaker 2So there you have it . Come along and get involved with this brilliant community garden idea . Thank you so much , penny . Thank you , it's been a pleasure to come .
Mancroft Area Activities and Resources
Speaker 2I think it's only right that we end our Mancroft episodes with a quick what's on so that you can decide if there's anything you fancy coming along too . So we spent a long time discovering what was going on in the Mancroft area , and it's an interesting area because it doesn't have a community centre per se . It does have the shoebox , obviously , and there's all sorts of activities and groups that go on there and people can . If they're interested to find out more about the shoebox , they can go online and do that , or popping into the coffee morning on a Monday is a good place , a good point of contact , a good place to start .
Speaker 1And the shoebox itself is on Castle Meadow . Yeah , coffee morning 10.30? .
Speaker 2The Monday coffee morning is 10.30 to 12.30 anyone's welcome and there's all sorts of great organizations in the mancroft area and there are quite a few low-cost activities that go on .
Speaker 1So one of the other organizations and have some really good groups is the rest hub . They have a coffee morning on a friday , which again is 10 30 till 12 30 . They also do an number of other groups , like a music group , a gardening group . They also offer , um , you know , some one to one support if you need it as well .
Speaker 2Yeah , that's right , and that's run by Norfolk and Waveney Mind . Yes , that is Also . There is another fabulous community activity is the lunch club at the St Augustine's Church Hall and that's on from 12.30 till 2.00 . And that is a £7 slash .
Speaker 1Pay what you can , donation for that one , and they're very welcoming in there and they would love to see you so another really good organization that's in mancroft is men's craft , um , and that's run by colin and he's he's an incredible person in the community . Um , it is aimed at just men and it's on a tuesday till uh , so the introductory group that I would go to if you wanted to get involved with men's craft would , I would say , would be pit stop and that's on a tuesday , two till four at maddle market . Um , yeah , great group and it's a really good organization .
Speaker 2You know there needs to be more for mental health in general , but also men's mental health , I think , is you know really yes , and I think you can either contact them by email or have a look at them online or just turn up at the madder market two till four . So another interesting one is the community culture club , which is based at the museum of norwich , which we knew as the bridewell museum . It's based down there in bridewell alley and that is specifically tailored to adults with dementia or older people . It's open to older people 65 plus , including those with dementia and their carers , and also , if you're feeling a bit lonely , a bit isolated , that's a great group to get involved with and you can contact them or Google the Community Culture Club at the Museum of Norwich .
Speaker 1Some other hotspots that happen 're . These are two quite new ones , um . So one is a hot spot that happens every thursday 10 30 to 1 am and that's at st giles on the hill church which is up a st giles street .
Speaker 1And then the other community hot spot , which is a weekend one , which I think is good , because not many things happen on a weekend , we've found yeah um , and this is sundays 2 till 5 pm um , and that's at the norwich quaker meeting house on upper goat lane and there's free refreshments , wi-fi , books , games , and it's all free of charge yeah , amazing .
Speaker 2Also , it's worth mentioning that the museums , um , currently are offering their uh are offering a warm space on a wednesday , 10 30 till 12 30 , and then another session , 1 30 to 3 30 , where you can chat , have free tea and coffee and also spend time in the galleries . So , um , yeah , so there is things available . Some of them are on the same day so you could do a little tour of the little knowledge , tour of chats and coffee .
Speaker 1We did also correlate a kids activity sheet , a low-cost kids activities for , like baby groups , toddler groups , um , and one of the some of the popular ones that we've got here is cafe tots and that happens at norwich central baptist church on duke street and that's 10 till 12 o'clock . We've also got first steps . That happens on a weekly basis and that is 9 , 15 till 11 and that's rosebury road . Also , ncbc do their messy churches once a month . That is a free weekend activity . It's on the first saturday of every month and you can just go on their website to find out things about that and that is just norwich central baptist church , norwich , um , and that has a free meal and activities for children yeah , and I would say also , it's worth pointing out that map , so the mancroft area project , known as map um , they have .
Speaker 2They are an organization for 11 to 25 year olds and they have a drop-in where you can get advice and food , hot drinks , and that's monday to friday , 1 30 until 5 popped in there a few times , haven't we ?
Speaker 1and they're really lovely in there , really . Yeah , just some amazing organizations that do host low-cost activities over norwich , yes , and I would say you can access um .
Speaker 2In theory , you can access a lot of the information about this through the city center website although I had a little look this morning and I must say I found it a little bit difficult to navigate , so okay , is this the loomy ?
Speaker 1no , lumi , no , it's not Lumi . Okay , that's one . So one of the websites that you can access to look at activities going on across the whole of Norfolk , is it ? Or is it just Norwich ? It has some Norfolk places , mainly Norwich . Mainly Norwich and that is wwwlumiorguk .
Speaker 2Yes , and it's actually a bit more accessible than the city council website .
Speaker 1So sorry guys , sorry um , but there's no substitute for just getting out there and just turning up to these places definitely and I think a lot of people , some people that have spoke to you , have said how they do get nervous walking into somewhere for the first time , and what I would literally say to that is they know people are going to feel this way and that every single group that we've been to has been so warm welcoming . You know , there's no questions asked , you just come along , you have a chat , they make you feel like you belong there and there's literally nothing to be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable about . Yes , they've set these up to help people like yourselves or make a safe space for yourselves to feel .
Speaker 2Yeah , you can connect with others . So I would say these places that are presenting as warm spots and it's about so much more than just keeping out of the cold for two hours . It's about meeting people , um , having a coffee , building relationships , building those connections , yeah , and just get out and you know people are friendly and want to make friends and yeah , if there's anything that you do want to find more about the connector project , you can look on you can look on the shoeboxorg website .
Speaker 1They , you know , they have coffee mornings . They do baking for well-being . They have a number of groups aimed for people who have autism . They have Friday groups that is aimed at people who struggle with mental health . They also have a crochet group , a knitting group , a group for everyone . I would say there is somewhere that you would fit in in one of those groups .
Speaker 2That is also a good quote .
Speaker 1It's member driven , so there's always new groups happening . They're always open for people to come in as a member and want to set up a group , so it's a really exciting place to be a part of . I think I'm really happy that I'm a part of the shoebox family .
Speaker 2Yes , and actually you are going to continue being part of the Shoebox family . I am going to continue to be .
Speaker 1So are you .
Speaker 2As am I . Yes .
Speaker 1So I'm going to move on to be a community kickstarter , which is exciting .
Speaker 2And I can't think of anyone better to do that than you . You know , you are so community , you're so community , you're going back to what we've got out of connecting . So not only have we had our eyes opened to meeting people and the sort of everything that that brings , but , um , you know , personally , professionally , it's , it's , um , it's done a lot for us .
Speaker 1It's opened a lot of doors as well , like I've . You know , because we've , I feel like I've just learned so many new skills yes , me too .
Speaker 2You know you don't really expect to find your dream job . At 49 was 49 , not anymore 49 plus one , yeah , plus two .
Speaker 1Oh plus two . Oh , plus two plus three . No , I'm 52 .
Speaker 2Yeah , okay , yeah , god , you're spilling all the beans today . Yeah , hard to believe . I know you've been listening to the mancroft episode of community unboxed . Hard to believe I know You've been listening to the Mancroft episode of Community Unboxed . For more information , head to theshoeboxorguk .