The church exists to glorify god, to take the good news of Jesus Christ to others and to grow together in faith and love towards fulfilment in Jesus Christ.
Eco-group Allotment
The St Ninian's Eco-group took on an allotment in September 2005 with three aims in mind:
- To be a Christian group gardening in the community.
- Gardening without the use of chemicals or artificial fertiliser.
- Opening the allotment up to anyone from the community who perhaps couldn't run allotment on their own, to work with us.
None of the group had any experience of what we wanted to do; but what we lacked in experience we made up for in the belief that the Lord wanted us to be there; and we had enthusiasm!
How it all began...The exercise co-ordinator with the Primary Health Care Trust, Dawn Wintle, had been interested in what we were trying to achieve. She asked the group to be involved in a project to give people of varying abilities the chance to participate in outdoor exercise in a supportive setting; where each individual can do as much or as little as they wish according to their ability. Dawn Wintle, works alongside Shereen Mears the Principle Regeneration Officer of Corby Borough Council and the gardening charity Groundworks. Funding has been obtained for workshops, led by the manger of the organic gardening co-operative in Kettering, The Greenpatch, and for additional tools.
One and a half plots have been rented in the Corus allotment site just off West Glebe Road near St Andrews Church. Work has started to clear the plots to make them ready for the winter.
There will be a set day and time for anyone interested in doing a bit of gardening to drop in to the site. A system will be in place to ensure that the plot will be run methodically and according to plan. At present Tuesday 10am-12pm seems most suitable and may continue to be the set day and time for working the allotment. Anyone from the congregation who would like to lend a hand would be very welcome.
Once the basic work of clearing the site is completed it is anticipated that interested groups, such as those with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and so on, will be able to benefit from the shared gardening experience.
The half plot has already been cleared ready for covering with a good layer of organic matter (manure if you must!). It is hoped that the adjacent plot can be started on 24th October, with the whole site readied for planting in the spring.
The project will be given the name, still to be chosen, to cover all participating groups.
© Corby: St. Ninian's Church of Scotland