The weather may be wet, windy and cold but now Team Springboard volunteers have somewhere dry for tea and coffee breaks and to sit out the worst of the downpours. The new shed was finished in December. It was a real team effort thanks to everyone involved.
NEW DIRECTOR
Lorna Lawrence has joined Team Springboard CIC as a director, which is a volunteer role. We’re delighted she’s giving her time and skills to help steer Team Springboard CIC. She replaces Charley Gibbons who has recently stepped down as director. A big thank you to Charley for his contribution to Team Springboard CIC.
The cold, wet and grey December/January weather makes most animals hide, but we did spot Muntjack deer hoofprints, fox pawprints, see and hear lots of birds around, including a grey heron, lots of bluetits and great tits, a couple of very friendly robins; and of course lots of worms under every builder’s bag, in the compost and in the soil. Hellebores are also opening their flowers to offer nectar for any first pollinator around.
We also harvested leeks, and planted Brassicas into the big greenhouse, mulched lots of areas with leaves, compost and woodchip, renewed paths, and have been cutting back hedges (mostly to comply with the committee).
SUGGESTION BOX
Any bright ideas about how to improve Team Springboard CIC? Drop them in the new suggestion box. The CIC in the name stands for Community Interest Company. One of the things that makes us different from an ordinary company is that we ask everyone involved for their ideas and opinions. So if you have something to say drop it in the suggestion box or send an e mail - details at the end of the newsletter.
IMPACT REPORT
Thanks to everybody who filled in an online questionnaire about Team Springboard CIC’s impact. The answers, reported anonymously, are part of the 2024 impact report. Read the whole report here. (If this is the printed version, just ask and Lucy can email it to you.)
FOOD DONATIONS IN 2024
Despite bad weather and other setbacks, Team Springboard CIC’s gardeners grew an amazing 315kg of produce in 2024! Most of that went to food projects helping people priced out of everyday essentials by rising costs. It’s an amazing achievement. The produce that wasn’t donated was mainly cooking apples - food projects can’t manage too many of those at once - and organic vegetables needing to be used urgently, or looking wonky so they were taken home and eaten by Team Springboard’s participants. We love the recipe exchanges and shared ideas about them all!
Team Springboard is a Community Interest Company rather than a charity which means doing some paid for contract work, mostly for other not for profits. Team Springboard is working with Crow Recycling in Coventry which provides services for teenagers and adults with learning difficulties.
A recent highlight is planting a small orchard beside the raised beds at the back.
We also had a couple of ZEN volunteers come along and help (with the front garden), which was brilliant as a lot more could be achieved.
All are really looking forward to seeing some colourful signs of spring soon!
Get in touch with Team Springboard
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.teamspringboard.co.uk