Vistry Group, a leading UK developer of affordable mixed-tenure homes, has teamed up with local partners to support a community food-growing project in Kirkleatham. The Growing in Harmony initiative, led by the Community Interest Company (CIC) In Harmony Food Revolution (IHFR), received much-needed assistance from Vistry North East to repair and revitalise neglected gardening spaces, benefiting the local community.
The project, based in the North East, aims to promote food sustainability and improve access to organic produce. With the help of Vistry’s contractors Tees Valley Exteriors and HMH Civils, Vistry North East supplied materials and labour to rebuild dilapidated raised growing beds in a once-neglected sensory garden. This area, located near the main food-growing plots, will soon host a variety of organic fruits and vegetables, helping to feed the local community.
The soil in these raised beds and larger open growing areas was also turned and revitalised, preparing the site for the cultivation of healthy produce. The IHFR initiative focuses on preventing food waste while educating the community on nutrition, gardening, and cooking with fresh, home-grown ingredients.
Francis Owens, Director and volunteer at IHFR, expressed gratitude for Vistry’s involvement. “Growing in Harmony offers people a sense of community within a nurturing, therapeutic environment. Vistry North East’s support has helped create a special space in the sensory garden, which will eventually be run by a community Friends group. We’re always eager to collaborate with local businesses, and Vistry’s efforts have been invaluable.”
IHFR’s Growing in Harmony project not only provides affordable produce to locals through a vegetable box scheme but also offers learning opportunities in horticulture, woodworking, and sustainability. Volunteers who work in the garden are able to take some produce home, while trainees use small beds to practice their new gardening skills. The initiative also provides education on small animal care, adding to the project’s broader goals of community learning and wellbeing.
The freshly grown produce is sold at affordable prices to the local community, promoting seasonal, organic eating. The initiative also provides physical, emotional, and health benefits for the volunteers, visitors, and attendees involved, especially in the rejuvenated sensory garden.
Peter Gallagher, Contracts Manager at Vistry North East, praised the project, saying, “This is a fantastic initiative. When we saw the chance to help, we, along with our contractors Tees Valley Exteriors and HMH Civils, were delighted to contribute time, equipment, and materials. We’re proud to support causes that benefit the communities in which we build. The advantages of being outdoors, staying active, and eating healthily are well known, and we’re happy to have helped IHFR promote these values.”
Vistry Group continues to focus on building homes that cater to both affordable and private markets, with its North East division currently involved in 15 construction projects. The group, known for its Countryside Partnerships-led approach, works with six housing associations and seven local authorities in the region.
The Growing in Harmony project exemplifies how local businesses and organisations can come together to make a meaningful impact on their communities.
