20. Green Skills at Riverside Park
Theme: Community engagement and participation
Objectives:
- Increase public access to and involvement in the river
- Promote the river as a community and educational resource
Project description
Local people boosted their skills and employability with a free six-week course that saw a community allotment site created in Luton's Riverside Park on Bedford Road.
In November 2015, Groundwork Luton & Bedfordshire ran a Green Skills course to give Luton residents the chance to gain experience and qualifications.
Green Skills involved lots of practical work like learning how to make timber constructions, create allotment beds, install gates and plant native fruit trees. On top of these construction, landscaping and conservation skills, participants also had the chance to gain qualifications.
Green Skills combines hands-on experience with CSCS training and the chance to gain the City & Guilds Level 1 Award in Employability Skills, to help people get back into work, further education or training.
The work was done to reinstate a community allotment site, which is now being used by Penrose Synergy's Roots to Recovery programme, running horticultural therapy sessions for adults with mental health issues.