The 'Kickstarters' teamat one of the allotments
A charity is making the most of government funding – employing nine youngsters and putting them to work in allotments and green spaces across Northamptonshire.
Groundwork Northamptonshire, which runs a youth work programme and brings communities together through green and creative projects, has used the government’s Kickstart Scheme to recruit the group of 16- to 24-year-olds, all previously on Universal Credit and considered to be at risk of long-term unemployment.
Nathan Wearn-Hutter, supervisor at The Green Patch, one of Groundwork Northamptonshire’s Kettering-based projects, said: “We call our new recruits our ‘kickstarters’ and without exception they are not just doing a great job but are also learning new environmental skills, working as a team and thriving. This group will be with us for six months in total, and it is going so well we are already planning a second round of recruitment.”
Most of the charity’s nine kickstarters are working at The Green Patch, learning office and administration skills as well as the basics of allotment maintenance – planting, growing, building and preparing food.
Meanwhile, one of the new recruits is working at Twywell Hills and Dales, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest for botany in the east of the county which is managed by Groundwork Northamptonshire.
Luke Parker, 19, from Kettering, is the newly recruited Assistant Ranger Kickstarter. “It is an amazing feeling coming here. Just being on site makes me feel at home. I am learning so much about different animals, flowers and about people. I am also spending time at The Green Patch, helping build planters for raised flower beds at The Green Patch. It is a perfect mix.”
Another recruit is Jonathan Mabey, 18, from Wellingborough, whose role includes transforming a tired pond area into a brand-new home for wildlife. “With Groundwork encouraging people of all ages and abilities to visit us, it is such a priority for us to create an easily accessible space for everybody, said Jonathan. “It really is lovely here and we all just love how accepting and rewarding this environment is.”
The Kickstart programme is funded by the Department of Work and Pensions DWP.
One of projects the Groundwork Northamptonshire kickstarters are working on is the Groundwork Natural Neighbourhoods project. This project is funded by the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund which is delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.
