These are just some of the projects currently underway at Shildon Alive!
Community Garden
Located on Furnace Pit Industrial Estate, our community garden is where Shildon Alive began! We run sessions with school children, community groups and other organisations. Community members have the opportunity to grow their own produce in the garden and learn how to take it ‘from plot to plate’. Training opportunities are available for garden volunteers, as well as trips to other community gardens to learn new skills and network. Groups currently taking place at the Garden are:
Wednesday: Adult Gardening Session – 12:30pm-2:30pm (Winter) and 1:30pm-3:30pm (Summer)
Friday: Little Growers (Parent and Toddler) – 10:00am-12:00pm
If you would to know more about volunteering at the Community Garden, or if your group would like to become involved, please email: lauren@shildonalive.org.uk
Meals on Wheels
Our meals on wheels service runs from our community kitchen and provides hot meals to some of our most vulnerable and socially isolated community members. In 2024 our volunteer drivers delivered more than 3,100 meals to over 150 households. Our meals on wheels service also allows our driver’s mates to carry out wellbeing checks on vulnerable community members and reduces loneliness in our community.
“I’ve just started getting meals on wheels and I’m very happy. I depend on carers and it’s really nice to see the volunteers bringing my meal, they do the little extras like collecting cutlery for me, all lovely people.” – Mrs. P.
“I’ve used the meals on wheels for a long time. I like the reliability, so I can plan my day. The volunteers who deliver are lovely kind people who helped me massively when I had a serious health scare a while ago.” – Mr. L.
“It’s good to know that my mam is having regular hot meals. The volunteers are amazing, always reliable, and turn up in all weathers.” – Customer’s Son
If you would like to know more about our Meals on Wheels Service, please email: info@shildonalive.org.uk.
To place order please contact our Community Kitchen on: 07385 924163
Young Volunteers
Our Young Volunteer Scheme is aimed at young people aged 11 to 18. The scheme provides opportunities for young people to support their community by volunteering at Shildon Alive. Their role covers a wide range of areas, including organising rescued food; stocking the shelves in the community shop; putting together packed lunches (sometimes over 100 at a time!); helping at the community garden; working the till; helping prepare food in the community kitchen; and becoming young leaders by helping with holiday clubs. There are also opportunities for trips, social events, training, and to have their voices heard through our involvement with Youth Voice.
If you are interested in becoming a Young Volunteer, please email: lauren@shildonalive.org.uk
School Stalls
In 2022 we worked with the year 6 students in a local primary school to set up a rescued food stall in their playground one night a week. The students run the stalls using the same ‘take what you need, pay what you can’ model as our community shop, meaning affordable healthy food is able to reach the wider community. They also learn about the positive environmental impact of reducing food waste.
Participation has positively impacted the confidence of the young people involved. We have witnessed multiple young people – who at the start of the project were reluctant to approach parents to spread the message of reducing food waste – begin to feel confident in what they are saying and in their actions towards achieving our shared goals.
We now have pop-up rescue stalls at every primary school in our local community. The aim of these stalls is to encourage engagement amongst community members and neighbours, promote participation within the community, reduce the environmental impact of food waste, and increase overall good health by providing affordable access to fresh produce.
WATCH OUT FOR INFORMATION ON OUR OTHER PROJECTS COMING SOON!!
