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Grand Union
What we’re doing

The Growing Project

What we’re doing

The Growing Project is a transformative community programme using art making, gardening, cooking and simply being together as a way of offering support and friendship to people passing through difficult times. Our project partners include organisations who support vulnerably-housed people and those experiencing crisis.

Together with artists, gardeners and chefs we work compassionately to facilitate weekly sessions with a variety of groups. Utilising Psychologically Informed Environments and Trauma Informed Care training we’re able to meet people where they are at in a non-authoritative environment.

Through The Growing Project, people have said they feel more connected to others and are offered space for their own expression. The project builds community connections that may not have existed before and we’re extremely proud of the work we achieve together each week. Our methodology is to create space for peoples’ varied and sometimes complex needs, where productivity is not the driving force. Instead gardening is about being outside with plants and wildlife, art-making is about trying new things and building confidence and cooking is about the enjoyment of sharing and eating together.

The Harvest Picnic, Minerva Works, Birmingham, September 2023. Image by Nina Bailie.

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Gardens in Supported Housing

Floating Garden

A landscape image of an outdoor garden space. A group of people sat on benches and chairs amongst dark grey wooden planters. The people are partially obscured by the green leafy plants that grow from the planters.

Minerva Group

Common Field

A landscape image of two hands working with clay. Upon a large, pale wooden surface, a wet-clay plate is being made upon a white stand. The hands are covered in clay, and white fabric is visible on the table to the right of the plate and stand.

Creative Production

‘Common Ground’ Gardeners’ World Live 2024 Exhibition

A landscape image of colourful post-it notes featuring small amounts of hand writing, stuck to a grey wall in a mind map style. These post-it notes surround a larger white piece of paper which reads 'the Growing Project' in typed text, and are connected together by colourful strands of tape.

What we have learnt

A landscape image of a digital illustration. On top of a white background, there is a soft brown oval that gets darker at the centre. Across the oval, thin lines in varied shades of brown branch off from each other creating a network. TO the right hand side of this network, a small, simple smiley face is visible.

The Growing Project: Digital Narrative Game

a landscape image of a large poster attached to a black metal grating in front of a window. The poster, which has a teal-blue background features simple black line drawings of a range of things, including trees, hearts, houses, and a round table surrounded by people, each coloured in pastel shades of blue, lilac, yellow, and pink. The poster also features lots of text, most of which is too small to make out, but across the top of the poster, black hand painted text reads ‘Our hopes + needs (are vital + important).

Our Hopes and Needs (Are Vital and Important)

The Growing Project is generously funded by the Gooch Estate, Edward Cadbury, Canals & River Trust, Horton’s, and BCC Near Neighbourhood Scheme.