Helping people recover from substance misuse and overcome mental ill health is the focus of a project which recently secured funding support from Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for North Wales, Andy Dunbobbin’s Innovate to Grow initiative. On 31 October the PCC visited the organisation behind the initiative, Growing for Change, at their base at Moelyci Farm, in Tregarth, just outside Bangor to learn more about their work and the aims of the project.
Growing for Change is an organic market garden and aims to support anyone in recovery from substance misuse issues or with poor mental health from across Bangor and the rest of North-West Wales. The group also offers service users and volunteers opportunities to gain work experience and accredited qualifications in food hygiene and production, which is a big boost for community reintegration and future employment prospects.
Growing for Change received funding from the Innovate to Grow initiative to help build a new packing station at the site. This was identified as an essential part of their wider initiative and helps them to fulfil orders from the retailers and restaurants they supply. The crops grown by service users in the course of horticultural and green therapy need to be washed, weighed, packed and labelled prior to delivery. Additionally, the cold store helps with the storage of produce between deliveries, thereby preventing spoilage and waste.
Since Growing for Change began, the group have managed to build strong relationships with North Wales Recovery Communities, the NHS Substance Misuse Service, NHS Community Mental Health Teams across several counties, and the North Wales Probation Service in Gwynedd, thus creating a clear referral pathway for support for people who need to access these services.
While at Moelyci Farm, PCC Dunbobbin met Sarah, a long-term volunteer and first person employed by Growing for Change. Sarah demonstrated how lettuce is washed, dried and bagged at the facility.
PCC Andy Dunbobbin commented: “I was delighted to see the work being undertaken by Growing for Change in Tregarth. They are doing great work in supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our community learn new skills and give back to society, while also benefiting from the improved mental health and wellbeing that working in nature in an organic environment brings. Innovate to Grow is all about helping to fund new and interesting ways of reducing crime and Growing for Change is doing this by encouraging its service users down a positive path towards support, work and fellowship.”
Paul Gordon-Roberts from Growing for Change commented: “The funding of our packing station has given Growing for Change a massive boost, enriching the opportunities and skills we can offer to our volunteers and at the same time provide a better quality product to our customers.”
Innovate to Grow exists to target and invests in projects dealing with the root causes of crime across North Wales, especially ones that offer new and innovative ideas of preventing and tackling wrongdoing.
Mr Dunbobbin has allocated £100,000 to the Innovate to Grow scheme to support projects for up to one year throughout the 2025-2026 financial year, with the main focus being on innovation. Examples of initiatives that could be eligible for support under the scheme include those covering youth services, early intervention, and adverse childhood experiences; drug, alcohol and substance misuse services; and organisations working to combat domestic abuse, sexual violence, and violence against women and girls. The initiative must complement the priorities within the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan, as well as his Community Oriented Police Service (COPS) approach to serve all communities across North Wales.
To read more about Innovate to Grow and other funding initiatives from the PCC, please visit: www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk/opcc-commissioning-grants-available