DCMS visit to Sunderland Home Grown

Young people at Sunderland Home Grown welcome Polly Payne, Director General for DCMS

Founded in 2017, Sunderland Home Grown has been on a journey of growth and transformation. Sunderland Home Grown is a rich environment to help young people and adults with learning disabilities and mental health problems to thrive and enjoy life by creating training and employment opportunities as well as promoting social and therapeutic horticulture. Grant funding from the Youth Investment Fund has completed its transformation and ensured that the centre will be there for future generations.

In June, young people and the team at Sunderland Home Grown were thrilled to welcome Polly Payne, Director General for DCMS, to see the amazing new garden centre facilities funded through the Youth Investment Fund. Polly Payne was joined by Jamie Williams, Programme Director for the Youth Investment Fund, Phil Witcherley, Deputy Director, Business, Trade and Culture, HM Treasury, and colleagues from Social Investment Business. It was a wonderful opportunity to see young people enjoying the brand-new space and all it offers.

Sunderland Home Grown, was one of the first youth centres awarded a Youth Investment Fund grant of £549,149.00, in March 2023. The Home Grown team worked round the clock to deliver two new exciting developments in record time, including a community workshop space, a commercial glass house, a new classroom and training centre, and a new garden centre and shop. The Youth Investment Fund also paid for a new tarmacked outdoor space, which has made a big difference in wet weather, making it more accessible for wheelchair users.  The building work completed by March 2024, and young people are reaping the benefits of the newly expanded and renovated space.

During the visit Polly Payne, Jamie Williams and Phil Witcherley met some of the young people and youth workers enjoying working at the garden centre, growing flowers, vegetables and fruits in the beautiful new surroundings. It was a great opportunity to see the garden centre at its best, in the June sunshine, and see the huge impact that growing produce and working in the garden centre has on young people.

The Youth Investment Fund has transformed Sunderland Home Grown’s offer to young people. It can now welcome around 50 young people every week, helping them to learn new skills for life and work, and have fun in the outdoors. And this year, the team at Sunderland Home Grown has produced over 300,000 plants!

Sunderland Hime Grown is a place of mindfulness and wellbeing, bringing joy to young people. It’s also a place where young people can grow and develop. It offers young people accredited and non-accredited horticulture training programmes and supported work placements, including practice-based horticulture, site maintenance, production of plants and produce, retail experience and working with the public. They are supported by youth workers, health mentors and a horticultural trainer.