Weeks 1-3 of the Pizza Base socially distanced garden in Pendower have been a blast. In week 1 we had 15 local volunteers who all helped to dig up and shift tonnes of soil over 3 days and they did a great job. This is one of our funded Enterprise in Disguise projects whose aim is to bring together local people to support local projects that make a difference in their area.

A big thank you to One Environments who helped the team visualize our practical use of the garden.

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the North East’s small charities and voluntary organisations hard.   It has created uncertain times for both families and older generations who were dropping into the Pendower Good Neighbour Project on Sunnybank Avenue in the West End of Newcastle.

Many local groups were taking part in weekly sessions like; knitting with the Naughty Nanas, arts & crafts and family playgroups.

Ruth Taylor, Senior Project Worker at Pendower Good Neighbour Project says, “Covid-19 struck and we had to quickly adapt the services we provide to support the community. We had to close the centre to visitors but have continued to help by delivering care packages, children’s activity packs as well as organising free bread outside the centre every Wednesday.”

Ruth adds – “With self-isolation and the lockdown starting to ease, we are excited to be re-building an old overgrown piece of our garden, using the skills and goodwill of local volunteers. We are transforming it into a food social area with the help of Upstart Enterprise. The area we are calling The Pizza Base will have a stone built outdoor pizza oven, fire pit and patio area which local families and older residents’ groups can use as an alternative outdoor space.”

The new patio is a vital part of the project, and consumes a large amount of the budget, which led Ruth and the volunteers to come up with a novel idea of getting local people to ‘sponsor a paving slab’ for £5.

Margaret Batey who attends the ‘Naughty Nanas’ craft group at Pendower Good Neighbour Project, says – “I’ve been coming to the group here for over five years now. I’ve been self-isolating since March, so being able to meet up in the garden is worth its weight in gold. The new pizza garden will be a great space for people like us to meet in a safe and socially distanced way and enjoy a slice of pizza.”

The Pendower Good Neighbour Project is a registered charity number 1088001. The project helps to improve local residents’ quality of life and support initiatives which contribute to the estate’s sustainability.

They need support to enable them to purchase equipment for this area for their small groups to use. They will continue to use this space in the future for skills building, as well as running groups which reduce social isolation and improve the quality of life for Pendower residents. You can make a donation via their JustGiving page here.