Salix Homes backs project to support struggling families

We are supporting the Families Together Project based at Larkhill Primary School in Pendleton.

Thanks to £2,000 funding from Salix Homes a community garden has been created within the school grounds where families can grow their own fruit and vegetables. The garden also includes benches, a children’s sand pit and a sensory garden where families can come together to enjoy the great outdoors.

Wendy Hughes, learning mentor and family support worker at the school, said: The garden is making such a difference to the lives of the families involved. Many of the parents are facing challenges in their life such as poverty or isolation from being a lone parent, but by coming together as a group it really uplifts them and gives them a real sense of achievement.

A lot of the families live in high rise blocks so they don’t have that outdoor area where they can spend time together as a family, but now the children are learning how to grow and nurture their own fruit and vegetables which is helping to improve their own health and well-being.

More than 30 families who are part of the Larkhill Parent’s Forum are now using the garden and its facilities on a regular basis.

Dad-of-five Andy Cardall said: This project has made a real difference to our family. We spend time together in the garden growing our own fruit and vegetables and because the children see where the food is coming from, they then want to eat it – they especially love broccoli in our house.

The garden opened in spring and it’s hoped that eventually the parents will be able to open their own shop as a social enterprise to sell the produce they have grown.

We have helped fund the project through revenue raised during the recent filming of Coronation Street at nearby Bourne House on the Amersham Street estate.

Sue Sutton, our chief executive, said: This is a fantastic project that we are delighted to support. Many families are facing financial and emotional struggles on a daily basis, but this project is not only ensuring that these families have got access to fresh produce at mealtimes, it’s also having a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.We know that safe and attractive communal spaces are really important to build communities and we are thrilled this project is starting to bear fruit already. We look forward to working closely with Larkhill Primary School to help even more families in this area.