It's that time of year again! Plants & hanging baskets for sale £2 for individual plants, £18 for round baskets & £23 for cones —discount if you bring your own basket. On Tues & Thurs you can enjoy a tea or coffee while we re-plant it for you! We love recycling so please bring your old plastic pots in exchange for a cuppa! To place an order info@red2green.org or call 01223 811662.
Help wanted with watering! If you live in or nearby to our garden in Lode Road Bottisham and you could spare some time in the early morning or evening to help water our garden we'd love to hear from you - please email info@red2green.org or all 01223 811662 - thank you!
18 March 2019 Bookings now being taken for our Easter holiday clubs If you haven't been before why not come along for a free taster day. Get in touch asap to secure your place, or click here to find out more.
1 March 2019 Training closure day - Tuesday 2 April We are sorry that Aspirations and Options will be closed for staff training on 2 April. We are sure you will appreciate that training, much of which is compulsory, is important to make sure we deliver a high quality service for the safety, happiness and well-being of our learners. However, we do appreciate that these closures can be inconvenient, so we try to publicise them as far ahead as we can, to help minimise disruption. If we have space we are always happy to swop your days so don’t hesitate to get in touch if this would be useful.
8 January 2019 Training closure day - Wednesday 13 February We are sorry but we will be closed for training on Wednesday 13 February but we are sure you will appreciate that training is important for us to deliver a high quality service for the safety, happiness and well being of our clients and learners. If you usually attend on Wednesday we are happy for you to book to come in on another day so please get in touch.
11 December 2018
A huge thank youto the shoppers at the Co Op in Fulbourn and to the Co Op Community fund for donating more than £2,000 towards our Community Cafe sensory garden.
27 November 2018 Thanks for supporting our Carers at the Café event last week In partnership with Bottisham Surgery Patient Participation Group
We were pleased to welcome Carers Trust, JobCentre plus, Rethink Carer and Purple (helping people to manage their personal budgets,recruit carers or find work), with info about parent carer support from Pinpoint Cambridgeshire. One carer said "I would like to congratulate you for todays' meeting, which must have taken a great deal of work : so many people in the same room with a wealth of such pertinent knowledge and experience. I arrived with a very real problem ( to me ) and left with many avenues to follow to solve it".
27 September 2018 Do you look after a parent, a partner, a child or a friend?
If so, why not drop into our new Carers group (working with the Bottisham Patients Participation Group) on Thurs 27 Sept at 2-3pm the our Community Café. We look forward to meeting you and hearing what you’d like from the group such as talks, coffee and a chat, relaxing crafts and so on. No need to book, just turn up.
“I am excited to join Red2Green as I am passionate about supporting others to be independent and achieve what they want out of life” More news
7 September 2018 Café apprentices celebration
Some of our learners and volunteers, together with their families and carers enjoyed an evening celebrating their huge achievements and being awarded their food hygiene awareness certificates.
7 August 2018 Carers Group
2-3pm Thursday 27 September Open to all carers Working in conjunction with the Patients Participation Group at the Bottisham Surgery we are holding our first carers group on the last Thursday in the September at our Community Café
This first informal get together will be to find out what carers would like from a regular carers group such as:
· Learning more about living with conditions such as dementia, diabetes or heart disease etc · Chatting with other carers, cake and coffee, or · Relaxing with some crafting activities
We look forward to meeting lots of carers and hearing what they’d like from the new group in future. The café will be serving tea/coffee £1.50 & as well as homemade scones £1.50, cakes and sausage rolls £2. No need to book just turn up.
Red2green community café & garden, Lode Road, Bottisham, CB25 9DL (next door/to the left of Bottisham Village College) For more information visit www.red2green.org, call 01223 811662 or email info@red2green.org
1 August 2018 Craft at the café 11am-2pm Tuesday 21 August Open to all ages and abilities Drop in and join us to make: mini houses as key hooks or decorations & blackboards: £5, or paracord bracelets £2.50. Café open for drinks and homemade scones, sausage rolls and cake
10 July 2018 Goodbye to Sarah After 15 years of working at Red2green Sarah Flack our Senior Services Manager has moved on a new role at Cambridgeshire County Council. Good luck Sarah and keep in touch.
5 July 2018 Community art days It was lovely to welcome Granta School to our Community Cafe for some serious crafting. We can't wait to see the finished artwork.
15 May 2018 Goodbye to Stacey We are sorry to share the sad news with you that Stacey Fallowfield died recently. She will be sadly missed by us all at Red2green.
5 April 2018 Easter workshops - featuring some awesome Fenland landscapes
16 March 2018 We will rock you! We are looking forward to sharing the latest crafty craze by decorating and hiding rocks. Join us this weekend at Burwell at Large. Click here to find out more.
2 February 2018 Speaking up Elspeth one of our learners, with her brother, speaking as the special guests at Pinpoint's Conference in St Ives on 1 Feb.
26 January 2018 We always welcome feedback from the many professionals we work with so it was great to receive this email from Maria, at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust: "I would like to thank you and your team for the amazing job you are doing to support our service users. "You and your team have shown willingness and determination to work closely with our service users and do anything to improve their quality of life. "The atmosphere at Red 2 Green is always very positive and I feel that our work as LDP professionals is valued. "You are doing an amazing job." Maria
24 January 2018 Upcycling and making music with our Support service for people living with mental ill health. Click here for the video
9 January 2018 Do you know? Did you know 50 is the smallest number that is the sum of two non-zero square numbers, atomic number of tin, 5th magic number in nuclear physics and the years in a "golden" wedding anniversary! BUT also the no of weeks/yr year we now run our autism service - so join us all year round!
2 January 2018 Staff training We are sorry that we will be closed for staff training on Friday 12 January but are sure you will appreciate that training is important to make sure we deliver a high quality service for the safety, happiness and well being of our clients and learners. Click here to see all our diary dates. If you usually attend on Friday we are happy for you to book to come in on another day so please get in touch.
2 December 2017 Our heritage lottery project moves onto fire making!
17 November Do you shop at the Co Op? And live within 15 miles of us? We have been selected as one of the Co Op’s chosen local community fund charities. This means that Co Op loyalty card holders can choose who receives a donation equivalent to 1% of their shopping spend (as well as getting a 5% discount on their shopping). So if you already hold a card please consider going on line to select Red2Green as your cause. If you don’t have a card click here to register. Thank you so much for supporting us. 9 November Do you care for someone? Know your rights! Drop in at Red2Green from any time from 11am-2pm on Carers Rights Day Fri 24 Nov for a cuppa, crafts and carers' information. Meet members from LDP, Cambs adult & autism team, Carers Trust, Purple, Rethink (support for mental health carers), Ace (user led independent advocacy & Suffolk Joint LD) & Cambs CC’s Children’s Centres. Click here to find out more, or just drop in.
3 November Charity Gig The Kings Arms, Ely Friday 3 November from 7.30pm Celebrating and supporting Support from Red2Green and CHS Group’s East Cambs Floating Support service Line up of local artists featuring: · The Cambridge Blues · Richard Newman, Blues Virtuoso Guitarist · Damian Maver – Singer Guitarist · Roger Illsley – Singer Guitarist
Limited tickets available at £5 (£3 if you use these services): · In person from staff at CHS Group’s East Cambs Floating Support service or Red2Green’s Support for Mental Health service · By email—reserve and then pay on the door: Kevin.scanlon@chsgroup.org.uk or Graham.haynes@red2green.org · Phoning ECFS on 01353 663278
Any unsold tickets may be available for purchase on the door on the night at Kings Arms, 12 St Marys Street, Ely CB7 4ES
100% of the ticket takings will go towards these welfare funds to support people in crisis across East Cambridgeshire. Charity numbers X81275 And 1112429
25 October A great day for our clients yesterday learning about, and working with, these lovely dogs.
17 October 2017 Stroking a dog has been shown to reduce stress and promote relaxation*. And Red2Green’s therapy dog, Dylan is also great helping disabled people and people on the autistic spectrum with their communication skills.
So. Dylan and his friends are holding a pop up community canine coffee shop. All the dogs are used to working with people and performing in public at events such as Crufts. They just love to meet new people and have a fuss!
Customers of all ages and abilities can also try out relaxing crafting activities from our Crafty Sew and Sows project which shares the skills our grandparents took for granted such as breadmaking, knitting and sowing & growing.
The event on Tuesday 24 October from 10.30am-12 noon and 1pm-2.30pm, takes place at our new community centre, Red2Green at Bottisham Village College, Lode Road, Bottisham. Entry is free, and tea, coffee and homemade cakes will be on sale.
*Georgia State University, Idaho State University and Savannah College of Art and Design found a 60 percent decrease in self-reported anxiety and loneliness symptoms following animal-assisted therapy published in Journal of Creativity in Mental Health.
10 October 2017 Today is World Mental Health Day. To find out more about Support our service for people living with mental ill health in East Cambridgeshire click here.
4 October 2017 Thank you to everyone who supported our coffee morning (in aid of Macmillan). We raised more than £200
27 September 2017 Yesterday we were weaving, braiding, spinning and knitting with Swaffham Bulbeck Primary School and Bottisham Village College - click here to watch our video
12 September 2017 Working with our friends at Skanska we won a national competition beating 70 other entrants! Together our learners' hoarding at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus won the 2017 Ivor Goodsite hoarding competition. Poppy fields with flowers, birds and butterflies, expressing hope and positivity!
26 July 2017 On 18 July we celebrated the handing over of our new accessible community garden, shop and classroom at Bottisham Village with a ribbon cutting ceremony performed by Councillor Mathew Shuter, following completion by main contractor Morgan Sindall.
Red2Green’s links with the local secondary school go back to its inception in 1999, when the College Head and Community Education head founded the charity to provide development opportunities for people with disabilities with a strong emphasis on community integration.
Today, Red2Green continues to be integral part of the local community, with clients that include people with learning disabilities, people on the autistic spectrum as well as those living with mental ill health.
For years the charity, which also has a head office and learning centre in Swaffham Bulbeck, has run a garden and shop from the college selling fruit and vegetable plus plants and hanging baskets - teaching valuable skills in horticulture and retail to its own clients.
Phil Bailey Red2Green operations manager, said, “We have been working very closely with Bottisham Village College and the contractors Morgan Sindall to create this new and exciting venue which replaces the original one built in 2002. Over the coming months, the new site which allows much easier public access, will be developed to incorporate a plant sales area and a learning space which we see as becoming a fully inclusive venue for the benefit of everyone in the local community.
Bob Ensch, area director at Morgan Sindall, said: “We’re immensely proud to be handing over this new venue for Red2Green. “The area has been designed with the needs of the whole community in mind and we’re sure that the space will have a positive impact, particularly for those who are most vulnerable. We’re committed to doing our utmost to support the local communities in which we work every day and are delighted to have completed this unique project for Red2Green.”
20 June 2017 We know its only Tuesday but we are already looking forward to the weekend and welcoming all clients and learners to our marquee at the Street Market on the Denny, Swaffham Bulbeck between 11.30am and 3.30pm on 1 July.
Join us for giant marbles, space hopper races, plaiting giant bread, giant French Knitting with the Knitting Nancy, giant bubbles, long rope skipping, and old fashioned games and the wheat grinder in the marquee.
2 June 2017 We are pleased to announce that our Aspirations service for people with autism now runs for 50 week a year - just like our other services!
2 June 2017 We are celebrating National Volunteers' week and would like to say a huge "Thank you" to all our amazing volunteers! Elly is just one of them, she joined us in January. She says “It was the best move I could ever have made. It has spiralled into paid work although I do continue to primarily volunteer there. It has inspired me to hone my skills towards a future in dramatherapy where I can help people who are on the autistic spectrum and/or who struggle with their mental health.I have been so blessed to meet the clients who attend the groups, they're a real inspiration and having the ability to make a difference to their lives is a blessing words can't describe."
31 May 2017 Nigel Fenner CEO has left Red2Green by mutual agreement. Tor Docherty who has been with the charity for ten years is Acting Chief Executive.
24 May 2017 Its great to be starting work on an exciting new (and very big) art project with Skanska. Our learners are looking forward to seeing the "bigger picture"!
16 May 2017 Half term and summer holiday dates announced - click here to find out more Our half term workshop is on Thursday 1 June, and our summer programme featuring both upcycling and independent living skills starts on Tues 18 July. It will then run every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the summer holidays. We also have an extra trip to Newmarket and the horseracing museum on Wed 19 July.
15 May 2017 It is not too late to join the Aspirations Lotto - £12/year gives you the chance to win £12 (or two runners up prizes of £5) every month. Our learners choose how to spend the funds they raise - this year it is a trip to the zoo. You have to be in it to win it - get in touch by emailing info@red2green.org or calling us on 01223 811662 to find out more.
11 May 2017 A huge thank you to Elly and Anne Datson for raising over £290 at their recent Coffee and Cake sale!
10 May 2017 Great to have Skanska at Harvey's Barn helping with some exciting alterations and working with our learners. Here Claire is finding out all about using a spirit level. We look forward to showing you the finished results of all their hard work.
3 May 2017 Elly and Anne Datson are kindly holding a Coffee and Cake sale at 55 High Street, Swaffham Bulbeck on Sat 6 May to raise funds for us. Also bring and buy, book stall and other fun activities. Join them from 10am-noon.
28 April 2017 Congratulations to our April lotto winners Jeanette Fuller, Christine Hannington & Jasmine Rogers. Best of luck to everyone for the May draw and remember, you have to be in it to win it, so why not join us for just £12 annual membership. “Funds raised go to our annual trip and any extra treats. Our new membership starts in June so join or renew your membership by the end of May to have a chance of winning a bottle of prosecco!” Luke (who comes to Red2Green) Contact us to take part.
18 April 2017 Congratulations! Great to see Elly (right) one of our amazing volunteers, and now a member of staff too, still smiling after her skydive. She hit her fundraising target :) but is happy to still take donations at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/elly-datson3
31 March 2017 It's not every day you get to take a selfie with an MP! Today learner Martin also had the chance to put his own questions, including one about using free bus passes before 9.30am, to Lucy Frazer MP.