I was delighted to be able to attend the lunch at the Copthorne hotel, Newcastle in order to celebrate the 86th ‘birthday’ of SI Newcastle upon Tyne. It was especially significant as the lunch was on the same day as the signing of the Charter for the Club.
It was very fitting to be at the lunch as my first engagement ‘this time around’, as it is the oldest club in the region (1937). SI Newcastle has therefore been ‘mother to a number of clubs, including my own (SI Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, and District)
It was pleasing to note that although they do not have as many members as in the past, they continue to do a lot of work within the community. In the year to November 2023, they had submitted 15 Programme Focus Report Forms: demonstrating that the target set by SIGBI the week before is very achievable.
Lunch was very pleasant: Prawn Salad, Haddock fillet and then lemon cheesecake, for me.
The speaker for the event was Jill Heslop who is farm development manager at Fallowlees Farm, and she has had tenancy since 2021. This is an extension of the West End Women’s and Girls’ Centre. The original centre was set up in 1981 as a safe haven for girls, and in response to the sexual assault of two girls in Elswick Park. The girls needed a ‘safe’ haven. The local youth clubs at that time tended to cater for boys more than girls.
Elswick is a diverse multicultural area, and then had a large Bengali community. The women grew herbs and vegetables but wanted a larger space. This led to the development of a community garden, and in turn this has led to Fallowlees Farm.
The farm has extensive space for the growing of fruit, vegetables and herbs, and now also has livestock. Produce from the farm goes to the families and groups in Elswick.
The activity is now truly multicultural as it has women from Kurdistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Kuwait, India, and Argentina. This gives the opportunity for everyone to share their knowledge and experience and develop the community.
I enjoyed the talk and felt that it was a true example of the ways in which the ‘P’s of Programme Action are intertwined. Not only does the farm aim for sustainability within Planet, it is helping with Prosperity in the community, creating a Peaceful atmosphere which reduces racial tension, it involves a variety of People from varied background, and intrinsically has built Partnerships.
SI Newcastle had maintained the theme of sustainability in their table decorations (photo enclosed) and also in the place names which contained seeds within the paper.
A most enjoyable day.