Cutting Grass, Cutting Crime, Cultivating Futures
Mow & Grow is the Grow Organisation’s original social enterprise offering a gardening and horticultural service to those in need. We offer volunteering opportunities, work placements and recognised training and qualifications to those who are not in education or employment.
We specialise in working with those who are farthest removed from the labour market by tackling the roots of issues, dealing with people’s perceptions and facilitating a change in attitudes in both themselves and others.
We give individuals the opportunity to break their self destructive cycle, improve their self confidence and encourage them back in to work or further education. Our training takes place in a real work environment giving us the ability to offer free or inexpensive garden clearance and maintenance services to vulnerable people in the community who would otherwise not be able to afford such a service.
We are committed to improving the lives of others and the community as a whole. We recycle all green waste collected from gardens diverting many tonnes per year away from landfill and do not use chemicals on gardens. We encourage everyone to reduce, reuse and recycle and several of our staff are trained ‘Master Composters’ supporting the Garden Organic and local councils’ initiative with information and advice for householders.
How it works
- Service Level Agreements with housing associations and local authorities
- Direct referrals – general public, medical professionals, the police and community members
- Free quotes supplied to general public
- Gardens receive regular visits throughout the growing season
- High hedges and tree works are usually carried out in Autumn/Winter
- Regular maintenance services also provided for businesses and community green spaces to support economic regeneration and increase their social return on investment (SRoI)
Benefits
- Professional work experience and recognised skills training
- Inspirational and welcoming atmosphere offering peer support and mentoring
- Allows us to offer gardening services to those who may not normally be able to access them
- Teams and recipients see an instant change to the environment giving a great deal of satisfaction and individual achievement
- We remove/recycle all green waste reducing pressure on landfill
- Any surplus is reinvested in sustainable jobs and the community
- Offers people a second chance to find a different path in life and discover hidden talents
- Walking our talk - cutting grass, cutting crime and cultivating futures