Autumn on the Green Patch - The View From Here

The Green Patch is a wonderful community allotment run by Groundwork and local volunteers, as part of our new project we will be documenting the changing seasons as viewed from here. Lucy Darby and Nigel Bennett have been making us wonderfully welcome and have introduced us to members of the local community. September has been delicious, blackberries, apples, squash, chard, leeks, carrots. We have been making wild fruit and green tomato chutney to see us through the winter. Already the life-enhancing Green Patch effect has us captivated, we can't wait to get started in earnest!

You can see more images here

Meeting and Greeting

Our View From Here team have been out and about getting to know the community, exploring The Green Patch, the area between Margaret Road and Weekly Glebe Road, meeting with Jenny Wallace and Rob Walker at Kettering Buccleuch Academy and visiting The Resource Centre to make contact with people who live in our project postcode area. We have spoken to local community police officers, people who support local residents in a variety of fields and struck up conversations with people at bus stops and in shops. We met a wonderful 80 year old who would have loved to take part but was moving back to London!

We haven't set our dates and venues for the following parts of the project:-

The View From Here -  poetry and printmaking sessions.

Tat and Chat -  Creating an intricate web of thread and conversation.

The Binding Thread - Using the recycled textiles.

Phiona Richards

Lucy Anderson

But the design process for the Green Patch mosaics will start with our Green Shoots group at the Green Patch in October. If you would like to be involved in the project or would just like to share your thoughts, hopes and observations about your area please contact us! We can't wait to meet you!

51 Community Interest Companies raising money to address health inequalities across England, Scotland and Wales through The Health Lottery.

Do You Live in This Neighbourhood? If So Why Not Join Us!

The Mollie

Our new project has a new base - a rather lovely survivor from the late 80's, a caravan we are calling The Mollie. Project volunteer and long time Back To Books member Margot Norris was given the task of finding a caravan that might work well as the mosaicing space on The Green Patch and has been named in honour of Margot's intrepid, caravanning mother, the much loved, much missed Mollie Scorgie. The Mollie has ended her roadworthy days and is now nestled in a new home on the Green Patch!

Trying the space out for size

This will be our view, which will change with the seasons

Carole Miles and Phiona Richards

have been let loose with paint and stencils

We have a table and we're poised for a power cable!

What a great space for our new venture!

Exciting News! Back To Books Receives a Health Belief Grant!

Image by Rikk Sharpe, made at The Resource Centre during out Pilot Project

Back To Books is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant for a two year project in the Avondale Grange Ward in Kettering. The grant has been awarded by HealthBelief, a Community Interest Company committed to raising money to address health inequalities in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. 

www.healthbeliefcic.org.uk

The Health Lottery is operated for and on behalf of 51 Community Interest Companies across England, Scotland and Wales, all holding society lottery licenses issued by the Gambling Commission. www.healthlottery.co.uk

It works closely with each Community Interest Company distributing grants. www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk 
People’s Health Trust is an independent charity addressing health inequalities across Great Britain. 

The View From Here Project Overview

Back To Books believe that fostering creative skills helps build creative communities, improves self-esteem and develops transferable skills. The project will share craft / creative writing activities and are designed to take pressure off participants enabling conversation to flow freely, ideas to be shared, prejudices challenged in a warm and friendly fashion. Difference is most frightening in the abstract, through these sessions difference will be made concrete and by doing so, will be demystified. We hope that the project will encourage the community to feel that The View From Here is more positive.

We are looking for a group of between 10 / 20 children or parents and children from the streets listed below to participate.

Margaret Rd, Cora Rd, Doris Rd, Edith Rd, Judith Rd, Dorothy Rd, Naseby Rd, Jean Rd, Stamford Rd

Lime Rd, Gorse Rd, Ivy Rd, Centre Parade, Heather Rd, Aster Rd, Almond Rd, Dahlia Rd, Weekly Glebe Rd.

Image created by Shelagh Rigby at the Resource Centre during our Pilot Project

The project has 4 strands and sessions will take place once a week for 92 weeks between September 2014 and September 2016 and are free.  • The View From Here -  poetry and printmaking sessions - outcome – small books to support health and wellbeing to be shared / read on difficult  days reminding participants that The View From Here can change and grow. •       Tat and Chat - learning a traditional craft combined with conversations exploring The View From Here. Creating an intricate web of thread and conversation. •       The Binding Thread - Using the recycled textiles to conjure positive thoughts on The View From Here.        •       Mosaics - the group will produce mosaics reflecting The View From Here inspired by the landscape / activities on The Green Patch Community Allotments.  We can promise fun, laughter, lively conversation, the chance to celebrate the Avondale Grange community, learn new skills and make new friends. We hope this project will also provde opportunities for parents and children to share creativity and space.       Project Artists will be Carole Miles and Phiona Richards who will be assisted by a number of volunteers during the course of the project.  If you would like to join a small, creative, friendly group to make a mosaic for the Green Patch, write a poem, learn a craft, have a coffee, make new friends?  Then contact :- Carole Miles,  Back To Books       0796 - 905 0891 email – Fingerprints07@hotmail.co.uk 51 Community Interest Companies raising money to address health inequalities across England, Scotland and Wales through The Health Lottery.