- Grow 73 in Rutherglen is a charity helping people of all ages and abilities to grow their own produce, learn how to lead more sustainable lives, and support local biodiversity. Established in 2015 this group has transformed a piece of unused, contaminated land into a thriving community hub.
- Why did you come to help@? What we do can be complex, and we wanted to learn from others through the service on a range of topics, including growing on contaminated land, composting toilets, and different models of community engagement for our raised bed system. We wanted an independent and knowledgeable perspective on land use and developing our work.
- How is the advisory service helpful? We receive direct, practical, up-to-date advice informed by learned experience from across Scotland and connection to specialist advisors and other projects and groups. I have a ‘go to place’ to continue to connect with help@ to work through an idea or issue as they arise. I also share our expertise and experiences to support other communities in Scotland. For example, when we were looking for a composting toilet, we got advice on what worked for projects in similar settings; this guided us to spend our money wisely, install and operate it correctly, and now we have groups coming to see our composting toilet to see if it works for them.
- Why would you recommend help@? For people and projects starting out, having a vision to making it happen can often start with a period of ‘where to start’? We want to dive in and do it, yet we don’t have all the knowledge and experience we will need. Established projects still need support for new opportunities and challenges, this is much more than tips and information you get online or from other networks, this is the expert network focused on community-led food growing, with advice, coaching, and mentoring that helps us juggle, focus on and accelerate our core work. We all get stronger by working together. Picking up the phone or just sending an email and knowing I have an ally to guide me through the issues is liberating. This type of support is unique and priceless.
