Flowers From the Farm Re-connecting us to the Seasons

Sometimes in my work I come across an organisation that is doing something that just seems brilliant and I just want to encourage them in what they do and to share the good news of what they are doing.

Through my work in networking with other organisations working to support rural life I have come across “Flowers from the Farm”

Flowers from the Farm is a marketing network of flower growers from all over the UK working to promote British flowers and get local flowers in to every vase.

The network has over 200 members from right across the UK as their map shows http://www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk/growers-map/ therefore there is likely to be grower close to where you live.

Buying locally has many advantages, the flowers will be fresher and more fragrant that flowers that have been transported across the world.

Imported flower often make a complex journey from a farm in Africa via road and air to a wholesaler in the Netherlands’ before a further road and ferry journey to a shop in the UK.

This all adds to the carbon foot print of buying cut flowers and does nothing to support British Agriculture.

One of the positive aspects of purchasing British Flowers is that you are purchasing flowers in their natural season and thereby connecting with seasonality. Seasonality connects us with new joys at every turn of the calendar rather than an endless monotony of the same throughout the year.

Flowers from the Farm is still a new organisation and still relatively small and has a personal feel about it as it you will be dealing with the person who actually grows the flowers.

Some growers are also flower arrangers and combine their skills as growers with their artistic talents offering a complete package for a special event such as a wedding or special occasion.

They tell me that a number of brides are now attracted by the theme of a very English wedding with British grown flowers filling a church and the reception with their colour and fragrance.

For more information on flowers from the Farm see www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk

Men's Sheds Reaching Men

When I mentioned I am member of a men’s shed it usually results in puzzlement or a joke about garden sheds on an allotment.

However there is a serious side to what is becoming known as the Men’s Shed Movement.

One of the problems in modern society is the feeling of isolation and loss of self- worth for men on retirement.  Some men get depressed turn to watching endless day time TV or sitting in a pub slowing sipping a pint.

The men’s shed movement started in Australia where men started getting together in a common work space to work together on practical tasks like woodwork; making toys, planters or other projects.

Working together in this way, friendships are built and a sense of value is generated.  

It has also been recognised that often men find it difficult to talk about their feelings; yet working side by side men find it easier to talk and share what’s on their mind.

More recently, building on the Australian experience, men’s sheds has taken off in Ireland which now has its own Men’s sheds association http://menssheds.ie.

The pattern has continued in the UK, with the development of the UK Men’s sheds association http://menssheds.org.uk/ now reporting nearly 200 men’s sheds with more opening every week.

A great video on the development of Gosport Men’s Shed can be found here: https://vimeo.com/84392065

The Men’s Sheds that I am connected with is Resurrection Bikes www.resurrectionbikes.org.uk . This has grown from small beginnings of one member, John, fixing bikes in his garage to raise money for Christian charities to a men’s shed involving over a dozen people.

After I started working with John fixing bikes we realised the potential for others to be involved. After enquiring locally we were offered premises in a church basement in order that the project could grow.

The basement was in a real mess and some partition walls had to be removed and other walls plastered and painted and lighting and power installed. However, with the help of the Big Lottery, a local venture scout group and small local contractors, the bike cave as it’s become known was ready and equipped as a cycle maintenance workshop.

The group now has a growing band of over a ten volunteers with about 50% having church connections and the others with no church affiliation.

The shed meets three days a week with the Thursday and Friday teams made up of retired men.    

        

The Saturday team is made up of working men plus a growing group of teenage lads who want to learn bike maintenance skills.

Everyone engages in an apprenticeship process starting by cleaning bikes and then moving on to stripping bike frames when a bike is beyond redemption. Through this process you learn the use of the tools and how all the components of a bike fit together. You can then progress to working with experienced volunteers learning all the skills of maintaining and servicing a bike; from checking for faults, to adjusting breaks, front and rear mecks, replacing cables and greasing wheel hubs and bottom brackets etc.

The whole process develops team work and work place discipline, as it’s often necessary to seek the advice of others and it’s important that all tools and storage boxes are returned to their proper places.

Saturday afternoons are one of the busiest days as this is when many people come to purchase a bike or to make a donation. So again there are further skills for the lads to pick up including looking after customers and coping with pressure in a busy retail environment.

The whole teamwork process is cemented with plenty of homemade cake and optional recreational bike rides.

From a church perspective there are many positive aspects of a men’s shed:

Serving the needs of community by:

·    Addressing social isolation amongst retired men by providing a supportive community of men engaged on a common purpose.

·      Developing the life and work skills of teenage lads through being involved in practical tasks together with older men.

·      Reducing waste through recycling donated bikes

·      Providing affordable transport for local people by selling serviced second hand bikes.

·      Encouraging the use of sustainable transport

·      Providing funding for charitable causes

In the future its anticipated there will be opportunities to develop a Christian nurture group, and may be from within this community will develop a form of church as people meet talk and serve one other and the wider world together.

So what can Churches learn from the men’s sheds movement.

·      Firstly there are men who are interested in gathering together around a common task.

·      Secondly these men have needs and are more comfortable about sharing these and supporting one another when engaged in an activity together.

·      A church basement or crypt which may be an unattractive unused space used for storing junk can make a great space for a men’s shed.

·      The key to getting started is two or more men with the vision and a church that’s open and flexible with regards to the use of its premises.

If you have a bike that need the Resurrection Bikes treatment then contact your local cycle recycling project www.ctc.org.uk/bike-recycling

If you live near Harrogate contact Resurrection Bikes www.resurrectionbikes.org.uk

    Tel 01423 593103 

     Other Blogs that may be of interest are Resurrection Bikes