STORY: Green Community Hubs – James
For James, becoming part of the Green Community Hub project at The Settlement in Maryport has been a really positive step forward.
Like several of the other volunteers, he was there right at the start of the project, tackling its very overgrown garden and clearing ivy from the trees to make space for the group to start sowing and growing.
Now, James is keen for the work to continue and for the site to keep developing.
Speaking of his involvement, James says:
“I come here because I struggle with my mental health, but also because I’ve got a bit of experience with gardening. I studied it the best part of my life and have two diplomas, and I’ve worked as a landscaper before.
“I like being outside. It just clears your mind. I’ve got a few mates who come here too – it’s good. We got invited to be part of the steering group and everyone’s got a role to play. It helps with your mental health, your confidence, and your communication skills and what have you.
“I don’t think a lot of us would have anywhere to go to do stuff like this if this wasn’t here.
“I show other people what weeds to pull out, what to plant, what not to plant. I’ve learnt what times of the year to plant seeds; stuff like that jogs my memory. I’ve also learnt how to make a mallet from two pieces of wood, so that was quite handy.
I’ll do gardening, maintenance, tool maintenance, machine maintenance, potting plants, potting seeds, and general tidying up of the grounds. Getting the area cleared with all the ivy and all the weeds was hard, but it’s 100% better now. We’ve come a long way since we started.
I’d like [the site] to grow, and then obviously we can sell more stuff and then put the money into more things and so on. I’d like to see some more of the community get involved. We need articles in the paper and posters up and what have you. Maintaining it is key – we need people to maintain it.