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At Growing in Harmony they are firm believers in the physical and the mental benefits of connecting with nature.

They know there is little better for clearing your head than a good blast of fresh air and, even better, mucking in with your sleeves rolled up.

That is the simple formula behind the new community interest company in Kirkleatham, using nature and growing to engage with those from some of the most excluded walks of life.

And students at Stockton Riverside College have been tasked with playing a lead role in helping to get the word out.

“Growing in Harmony is a site for growing fruit and vegetables using organic methods which offers vital training and volunteering opportunities for people in need,” said Sharon Owens who is heading up the team along with her husband Francis.

Part of the In Harmony Food Revolution, she explained: “We work with trainees, apprentices and volunteers who are mainly ex-homeless, the long-term unemployed and people that face financial or social problems, all of which often result in isolation and loneliness.”

By bringing people together with meaningful activities, the hope is to create a space where people can feel they belong, meet new people and develop their skills.

And that is the message Art and Design students will try to capture as they create a new logo and signage for the community organisation.

The Growing in Harmony team are running the project on behalf of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Councillor Sue Jeffrey, leader of the council, said: “This project offers a different approach to providing support to those seeking work or feeling excluded. It builds confidence and provides people with a meaningful project to get involved with whilst developing their knowledge and skills.”



Sharon said: “For a whole host of different reasons people can feel that they have been thrown on the scrap heap. We joke that we recycle everything, including people. We help people to grow.”

Breathing new life into the former Kirkleatham nursery site, Growing in Harmony is offering trainees, apprentices and volunteers the chance to muck in and play their part, producing fruit and veg, maintaining the site and caring for the animals, including rabbits, chickens and even bees.

With a focus on sustainability, there’s also the desire to develop social enterprise opportunities, by offering a safe environment where people can make and sell their products, alongside offering traineeships and apprenticeships.

Keen to get the wider community on board, Sharon said it made sense to get young people actively thinking about the work they do, and what better place to start than inviting the Stockton Riverside College students along to get a real feel for the place and go on to create their branding?

She said: “The quality of the students’ work so far is really good and all so different. To think you can give everyone the same brief and yet you get 15 different slants on it.”

Stockton Riverside College’s course leader for Art and Design, Liz Dixon, said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for our students as it offers them the opportunity to work to a real brief, to consider the needs of the customer and adapt to feedback, as they would in the working world.

“It also raises their awareness of the different organisations that are out there, the real issues that people face and the part they can play in helping others.”

For more details about Growing in Harmony and the work they do visit their Facebook page, Growing in Harmony Kirkleatham Training Centre.

To find out more about the Art and Design courses visit: www.stockton.ac.uk/courses/art-design/
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