News
Spadework is busy harvesting pumpkins for Halloween
Spadework provides care, support and meaningful opportunities to adults with learning and other disabilities, (who are called trainees), while developing their independence and personal skills, through social interaction with the community. They were awarded grant’s totalling £6,300 from Kent Community Foundation to support the work they do with over one hundred adults from the local community.
Kent Community Foundation supported Spadework’s Pumpkin Garden in which the trainees have been sewing pumpkin seeds, transferring seedlings to pots, planting them outside, watering and looking after them, culminating this month with the trainees busy harvesting and preparing the crop to sell for Halloween or using them to make pumpkin soup for the café.
The pumpkin project is a fantastic example of why Spadework chooses gardening as one of the skills they teach. The trainees are involved with the project from start to finish and have defined tasks throughout. This time last year the trainees researched which seeds to buy and prepared the land, which had only been used for car parking previously. Fast forward a year and the trainees have passionately and diligently grown over 20 different variety of pumpkins, planting over 500 individual plants and have begun harvesting over 1500 pumpkins, ranging from white to red, green to blue and black to orange, with varieties such as Warty Goblins, Big Max and Freaky.
Kris Healey, CEO of Spadework said “We are so grateful to Kent Community Foundation for the funding they awarded to Spadework, to support the work we do with adults with learning and disabilities by allowing us to extend our vegetable garden and re-site the pumpkin patch. Our Pick Your Own Pumpkin Patch is running from the 19th October to the 31st October and we would really appreciate the communities support this Halloween!”
The pick your own pumpkin patch is open 19 – 31 October
A Garden Centre, Farm Shop and Cafe are open to the general public 7 days a week
Spadework, Teston Road, Offham, West Malling, Kent, ME19 5NA