Bring your work team for an exciting and enriching day volunteering on our small Patchwork Farm in Hackney or our bigger farm in Dagenham. Both flourishing organic farms are buzzing with biodiversity and grow fruit and vegetables that are eaten across east London. (Check out Dagenham Farm in the film.)
- Spend the day doing fun and meaningful volunteering tasks
- Develop teamwork, collaboration and communication skills
- Make a crucial contribution to food production on our market gardens
- Deliver on your corporate social responsibility targets
Doing physical tasks in the gardens makes a wonderful break from office-based work. Participants feel physically and mentally better and leave with a huge sense of achievement.
Every group that visited us last year rated their day 10/10 and said they would recommend their experience to other teams.
"A wonderful day - please can we come back!"
What’s in it for your team?
Learning - a chance to explore where food comes from and how to grow in a nature-friendly way.
Inspiration - you'll discover how Growing Communities uses small spaces in the city to grow organic salad leaves, flowers, herbs and other fruits and vegetables for GC’s local veg box scheme.
Good for the soul - it's an opportunity to spend time in fresh air, build motivation and have fun experiencing food growing first hand.
Good for team building - see your relationships strengthen when working together outside in a relaxed environment.
Support a social enterprise building a better food system from the ground up. All funds raised through these sessions are put towards furthering our aims of creating a more sustainable food system based on fair pay, shorter supply chains and protecting biodiversity.
"Sophie was super informative and super friendly with a wealth of knowledge to impart."
What will you do on the day?
The day runs from 10am till 3.30pm. You'll focus on urgent, seasonal tasks and projects that might include:
- Seed sowing and planting out
- Clearing and preparing the ground
- Barrowing new compost
- Watering
- Harvesting produce
- Cutting back overgrowth
- Heavy lifting or construction and DIY tasks where needed
We can also offer your group:
- The chance to harvest and brew your own herbal tea using fresh leaves from the site
- A basic session on how to get started with growing your own food (optional)
- An insight into the mission of Growing Communities and the purpose and importance of the site
- Optional sessions making insect habitats or DIY bird feeders
- Occasional seasonal activities such as wreath-making and mulled drinks around the fire
"We were really happy with the pace, range of activities, learning about growing methods and hyperlocal approach."
What do you need to bring?
We provide all equipment needed for the activities, so your group will just need to bring clothes that they don’t mind getting a bit dirty, sensible shoes (walking boots or trainers) and whatever the weather requires, such as waterproofs and/or sun hats. Bring drinking water and a picnic lunch (or ask us to cook for you).
Catering
We can quote to provide lunch as part of your visit.
"The food was delicious."
Booking
We can accommodate up to 15 attendees in Hackney and 40 in Dagenham. We can tailor tasks to a range of abilities but if there are any serious medical or physical issues in the group then do let us know in advance. We send over a full risk assessment in advance for you and your team to review before your visit.
For information about pricing, dates and booking, contact Katy Barker.
"We saw penty of smiles and pure happiness in our team connecting with nature. Our team raved about the visit. We want to book in again."
