We are extremely grateful to the many people who have given their time to help us at events, and to all those who have given or raised money for Friends of Twigs – however large or small the amount, it is all greatly appreciated. Both TWIGS and The Olive Tree Café are incredibly special places and we want to help keep them that way.
Walk around TWIGS and many of the structures you see – the summerhouse, the pergolas, the chickens in their coop, the fishpond, the raised beds, the stone fountain on the patio – are just some of the ‘extras’ bought with money raised by or for Friends of Twigs.
Less noticeable are the security fencing, drainage and electrical work we have also helped pay for, along with mowers and power tools, work boots and gardening equipment, craft materials and woodworking tools, and thousands of bulbs, seeds and plants.
Also less visible is the Dementia Gardening programme we recently helped to launch and are seeking to expand. We are also currently seeking funds for the Allotment Project: growing cut flowers to sell, a small orchard and hops for a local micro brewery.
In 2011 we helped launch the Olive Tree Café and have since helped to pay for both equipment and infrastructure – most recently the heating system and new doors, both of which have made a big difference. We also helped with the building and development of the Kitchen Garden.
People at both TWIGS and the Olive Tree have benefited from OCNCredit4 Learning training; we pay the membership fee. We have also paid for professional mentoring and a fair bit of IT equipment for both projects.
All of this is in addition to the £12.5k that we have given to TWIGS every year since 2012 to cover additional staffing costs, without which TWIGS would not be the amazing place that it is.