Ahead of national Volunteers’ Week (1 – 7 June), we’re appealing to green-fingered local people to support our garden and food production project.

We’ve been developing the grounds at our charity’s extensive site near Carlton. The garden project grows vegetables which are harvested to provide fresh ingredients in meals for the formerly homeless people who live on site. Any surplus is then used in the kitchen of em’s Bistro and also sold directly to customers in our Home Store.

We’re now looking for new volunteers to join the team, and for local gardeners to donate unwanted plants and seeds.

Sharnbrook resident Jenni Wright is an experienced gardener who started volunteering here at Emmaus Village Carlton two years ago. Speaking about the project, she said: “I find volunteering here very rewarding. I really enjoy working with the people being supported here, as well as with other volunteers.

“When I got involved with the Emmaus Village Carlton garden project, the area had just been cleared. We’re using a poly-tunnel and greenhouses to nurture seedlings and our harvest now includes strawberries, raspberries, kale, French beans and cucumbers which are used in the kitchen. I volunteer every week and have been made to feel very welcome.”

We’re hoping more people will come forward to volunteer their time in our garden, whether for a one-off day or as a regular visitor. Equally, if anyone has any spare plants or seedlings that we could nurture to use or resell, we’d be really grateful. Emmaus Village Carlton supports some of Bedfordshire’s most vulnerable people, and every penny raised will help us continue this vital work.

If you’re interested in volunteering or donating plants, please give us a call on 01234 720826 or email [email protected]

If gardening isn’t for you, find out more about our other volunteering roles.