Real Growers
We are working in partnership with Plan-it Earth Environmental Project on Real Growers, a brand new training programme which will see local people learn new skills in food production, business management and sustainable living.
Instructed by lead grower Dan Thomas who has over 25 years of horticultural experience, the six Real Grower trainees will develop, plant and harvest a large area of the existing Plan-it Earth environmental site in Sancreed near Penzance, with the aim of providing the local community with weekly vegetable boxes through the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Box Scheme.
Part of RIO’s delivery of the Future Jobs Fund in Cornwall, a Government programme designed to help people get back into work, the social enterprise venture has grown from our experience working with young people in the outdoor environment and also reflects Plan-it Earth’s ethos of community ‘re-skilling,’ focused on sustainable living.
Real Growers will not only provide local vegetable boxes for the community but will also prepare trainees for future employment and set them up with the skills and knowledge to educate others in sustainable techniques.
It is hoped that the Real Growers training programme will grow and feed into a fully fledged social enterprise venture, supplying vegetable boxes to local schools and businesses, running markets and offering training and workshops for young people looking to develop growing skills.
For more information about Real Growers contact Dax Ansell, dax.ansell@realideas.org
