Volunteer It Yourself Project @ Garon Park

This is a project to renovate part of Garon Park CIC and will focus on upgrading the tired and dilapidated kitchen space in the main building, which serves many community groups/those who hire the space, as well as a space where food is prepared to offer a free plant-based meal to all volunteers at the centre, using food grown in the community garden.

The grant is requested to help deliver a new VIY community facility improvement project in
Southend, involving and benefitting at least 21 marginalised/excluded/disengaged who are NEET or at risk of NEET young people through local volunteer skills opportunities. VIY challenges young people to volunteer to help refurbish/renovate local community facilities that host and provide valued services and amenities. The young people work alongside and are mentored by professional tradespeople and gain City & Guilds skills qualifications, as well as receiving personalised support to progress to employment and further/higher-level training opportunities beyond VIY. (VIY is an accredited training provider with City & Guilds).

Garon Park’s Mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of the local community as well as enhancing the beauty, biodiversity and environmental value of the 32-acre park site in Southend-on-Sea. The organisation aims to provide safe and secure facilities, to promote and protect the good physical, mental and sensory health of the residents of Southend and for the recreation / leisure time occupation of those residents. Approximately 1,500 people use the space each month (38,000/year - with over 200,000 benefitting from the whole site per year) through different groups/services including multicultural groups, a youth club, women’s wellbeing hub, health/wellbeing groups, ecology /species surveys, two alternative educational provisions one of which supports those involved in county lines.