Networking Challenge at Nourish Community Farm
BCP's Networking Community Challenges are an effective way to help you build new business relationships whilst also supporting your local community. These events offer the chance to meet and establish contacts with other businesses in a relaxed atmosphere, whilst also providing real benefits for the local community.
The first one of the year took place at Nourish Community Farm, a social enterprise growing a variety of fruit, vegetables, herbs and plants to sell locally. They provide supported work placements for adults with mental health problems and learning difficulties and have a number of volunteering opportunities for people to learn about organic food growing and wildlife gardening. They also supply produce to the 20/20 Café based at the East Brighton Mental Health Centre, and this is another Nourish project offering training and work experience placements.
The challenge at this networking event was to help the Farm's work with their perennial plants project, and over the course of the afternoon, the group prepared the land for planting and planted some trees. Angelina Andrews, Director of Permanent Solutions Direct and participant in the challenge says that "Because the project was for the entire afternoon this gave us enough time to clear the site, dig holes for the fruit trees whilst taking the time to really get to know each other to establish how we could possibly work together in the future. It was a relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and I look forward to being involved in the next project".
At the end of a hard afternoon's work, the participants relaxed together over a glass of wine (courtesy of Barefoot Wine), and Sam Wilson, Director of Bars by Design/Eco Events said "I have only been networking for a few months and I can honestly say this is an innovative and authentic way to meet new people – the best I have experienced to date!". Angelina Andrews added that this was the ideal way to "give something back as well as networking with other companies", and said that, "this was my first project with BCP and I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed this relaxed way to network whilst doing something worthwhile in the community."
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Better Project Update
November 09
The first in a regular series of project updates charting the progress of 6 social enterprises as they embed Social Impact Assessment tools in their organisations.
For full details, click here.
