Equipment for Cut The Mustard Club

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Funded on
06 Dec 2021

We run gardening & nature workshops for disadvantaged/socially marginalised young people. We encourage youngsters to spend more time outdoors and discover their spark through extra-curricular activity

£3,959 Raised of £3,953

62 Backers

100%

Our Delivery Report

Funded on 06 December 2021 | Delivered on 28 June 2022

£3,959

RAISED

62

BACKERS

47

DAYS TO FUND

BIGGEST PLEDGE

Largest pledge from Cotswold District Council

£2,000

From Cotswold District Council

£10

MOST POPULAR PLEDGE AMOUNT

200

people have visited this project!

donated £5

Project Image

Cotswold District Council donated £500

donated £20

donated £2

More about our impact

The local economy

I have set up as a CIC, secured an organic nursery to rent, employed an expert gardener, bought equipment, resources and a shed for storage, developed a partnership with 10 schools and successfully run gardening and nature workshops twice a week since November. Schools have returned numerous times after their initial taster visit and are now paying for the workshops. Students have developed their gardening skills and learnt more about the natural world. Due to high demand, we are hoping to run even more workshops and open an after-school and holiday club.

Volunteering, jobs & education

Feedback through student evaluations has been exceptional and online surveys for staff have provided me with glowing feedback which has been a real boost for myself, my gardener and our volunteers. We are constantly tweaking the workshops and ensuring the content is well suited to each group. I want to ensure we make real impact on the young people who visit us, and that they continue to take part in our workshops for years to come. I now want to address some of the barriers to access, such as transport.

https://cutthemustardclub.co.uk/

Green environments reduce levels of depression and anxiety and enhance quality of life. However, access to green space varies depending on socioeconomic background. The most economically deprived families have fewer opportunities to reap the benefits of time spent outdoors and this is contributing to rising levels of mental and physical health problems in young people. These socioeconomic-related inequalities form the bedrock of an unfair society and fuel environmental inequality as well as educational inequality.

For the typical British young person, 1-5% of their time is spent outdoors. Worryingly, 3/4 children now spend less time outside than prisoners (1 hour) and children in low-income or ethnic minority communities have particularly limited access to natural spaces.

Many disadvantaged children don’t have access to gardens and outdoor space is often urbanised and polluted, so instead they spend an average of 20 hours a week online. This ‘extinction of experience’ is resulting in ‘de-natured’ young people suffering physically and mentally.

We are going to change this!

My project will inspire young people to find their spark by inviting disadvantaged and minority youths to take part in outdoor extra-curricular activities. Cut The Mustard Club has a vision to develop the whole child, focusing on their wellbeing, skills and attainment by participating in healthy recreational activities that they could not otherwise afford. Our first project will inspire, educate and nurture through gardening and nature sessions at a beautiful, organic nursery in South Gloucestershire.

CTMC will partner with schools and councils in the South-West to bring groups of children and teenagers to our idyllic setting on a monthly basis. We will focus on exposing young people to, and educating them about, nature through planting trees, sowing seeds, weeding, hoeing and pruning. Our workshops will give children access to plants, organic soil and fresh air, and allow them the freedom to play and explore in the peaceful English countryside. In addition they will develop practical skills such as: gardening, growing food, protecting nature, learning how to re-use and recycle.

We want to ensure there are no barriers so everybody is allowed the chance to have fun, develop new skills, grow in confidence and discover a passion.

Project Owner: Cut The Mustard Club CIC The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.