Listen to the team being interviewed on Tony Snell’s BBC Radio Merseyside Breakfast show.
For those that haven’t heard it, follow the link below and scroll forward to 26:10.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02cz6hd
Staff at Bromborough Pool garden centre, run as a social enterprise by Wirral Autistic Society (WAS), have two reasons to be joyful this Christmas season.
The community garden centre, gift shop and café on The Green at Bromborough Pool village is having its busiest festive period since it was opened in 2011. A range of Christmas gifts, created by people with autism living in Wirral, are selling so fast that managers are having to rush new stock into the shop to keep shelves full.
(left to right) Paul Turner, Mark (Service user), Sally Leigh, and Karl (service user)
The team is also celebrating being shortlisted for a prestigious national award for its services to people with autism. Judges at the Laing Buisson Independent Specialist Care awards were impressed by the extensive opportunities for people with autism provided by the community business.
WAS service manager Lex Freeman said, “December is turning into a whirlwind of a month. I have to keep commissioning new supplies of gifts. It’s a real team effort because so many of our gifts are created by our service users. We’re making holly wreathes in the potting sheds, our woodwork department is producing lovely chess boards and our creative arts department is turning out ceramic gifts and Christmas tree baubles as if there’s no tomorrow.
“Being shortlisted for a national award is an incredible compliment but we are so busy that the news hasn’t really had a chance to sink in. We find out whether we’ve won the actual award at a ceremony in London in March and will be on tenterhooks until then.”
WAS took over the small garden centre in Bromborough Pool village 20 years ago and set up a limited operation preparing plants for sale in the spring and early summer of each year. In autumn 2011, thanks to a donation of £323,000 from the Social Enterprise Investment Fund, the society was able to open a purpose-built garden centre and coffee shop, with all money raised ploughed back into the service. The aim was to provide opportunities for adults with autism to contribute to community life.
Bromborough Pool Garden Centre Team
The garden centre team has since added a landscaping service to its repertoire. Three gardening and landscaping groups, transported in crew buses, now care for the grounds of local schools, companies and private homes. People with autism do everything from cutting lawns and weeding boarders to power washing driveways and repairing fences.
In the retail and cafe areas people with autism work front-of-house taking orders, waiting on tables and stacking shelves. They also work behind the scenes, preparing food and maintaining stock, and in the potting sheds, preparing plants for sale.
(left to right) Lex Freeman, Social Enterprises Service Manager, Service Users Claire and Louise with Dawn Sage.
Since the opening of the new buildings, business turnover has increased dramatically – by 52% in the first year and 30% in the second. The garden centre’s busiest day was during this summer, when it had 300 customers and also raised over £1,500 for the society’s Lifetime Appeal.
The society’s chief executive, Robin Bush, said, “I’m so proud of the team. They are absolutely dedicated to making this community business a success – and it is heart-warming to see the difference they are making to the lives of our service users. A big thank you, too, to the creative people behind the scenes who are producing all these amazing Christmas gifts at a rate of knots.”
