2019-06-01 Country Homes & Interiors

FromFarleFt

Staffmembers

tieupsweetpeas

readyforsale;

peopleareable

tocomehereto

heal,learnnew

skillsandmake

newfriends

BELOWJoWright

cutsflowersready

forarranginginto

posiesand

bouquets

Feature

and photographs

Nicola StockeN

‘I'vealwaysfoundplantstobe

a sourceofhealingandcomfort.

aftertakinga degreeinhorticulture

specialisinginsocialandtherapeutic

applications,i beganrunning

gardentrainingprojectsforadults

withlearningdifficultiesandmental

healthneeds.Whenpeoplework

withnature,theystrivetoovercome

theirchallenges.i loveseeingthem

makethatjourneythroughrecovery.

asa youngadult,I suffered

fromdepression.itgivesmean

insightintosimilarchallengesfacing

ourtrainees.katy,forexample,

arrivedin 2011 andbeganher

recoveryhere.Whenpeoplearein

a verydarkplace,weoffera lifeline

andtrytoshowthemthat,byjust

beinghere,themagicwillhappen.

Sheis nowoneofoursupervisors.

Iwasata friend’sweddingwhenI

realisedthattheworkexperience

providedbymyprojectslackedone

vitalingredient– a commercial

element.Bybecominganenterprise,

wecouldsow,grow,harvestand

selltheflowersfromstarttofinish.

organicBloomswasbornin2006.

Fromthefirstfewtentativeflower

beds,ourcutflowerfarmhas

grown into a nine-acre site. at our

baseinlatteridge,nearBristol,we

produceeverythingfrombucketsof

freshlycutstemstoluxuryhand-tied

bouquets,andwedoflowersfor

weddingsandevents,bothlocally

andthroughonlinesales.

anyprofitis reinvestedinthe

socialenterprise.thefundsallow

ustoprovidepermanentjobs

in-house,developthenurseryand

employspecialiststafftosupport

peoplewithdisabilities.our

traineeslearnalltheseasonaltasks

thatoccurina flowernurseryand

floristrybusiness,andwealsooffer

city& Guildsqualifications,which

areanimportantstepwhen

preparingforwork.Weaimtocreate

the“perfectworkplace”where

individualsarevalued,andareable

tocontributetoa reallyworthwhile

endeavour.Nothingmakesme

happierthanlookingacrossour

flowerfieldsandseeingpeople

smilingandbeingproductive.

Weworkina sustainableway,

caringforthewellbeingofthe

soil,thewildlifeandthepeople

whoworkhere.organicBlooms

providesa permanentbasewhere

traineescantendgrowingherbs

and cut flowers ranging from

anemonesandzinnias,to

ranunculus,dahlias,achilleas,

scabious,laceflowers,corncockles,

cosmosandsweetpeas.

Wehavea newcontracttosupply

boxesofflowerstemsforabel

&Cole.it’sa taskthatrequires

attentiontodetailandis wellsuited

topeoplewithautism.it meanswe

cannowemployanadditionalsix

people.theproject’ssuccessrelies

onmaintaininga balancebetween

makinga profitethically,andseeking

fundingfromthehealthandsocial

caresector.Since2010,oursales

haveincreasedfivefold.it’sonly

possiblebecauseofmyteam.

inparticular,fellowdirectorand

floristWendyPaulhasnotonlybuilt

theorganicBloomsbrand,butshe

alsowona goldmedalatthe 2018

chelseaFlowerShowaspartofthe

FlowersfromtheFarmexhibit.

organicBloomstrulydoestouch

people’slives.Sincewebegan,

atleast 200 workershavepassed

through.ourfarmis morethanthe

sumofitsparts– it’saboutgrowth

andcommunity.and,whenit comes

torealheroes,looknofurtherthan

ourbrave,inspiringworkforce.’

to learn more, go to organicblooms.co.uk

Growing plants is

therapy for the people

who work here

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loCal hero