Sufra Foodbank: Coronavirus Will Affect Services for the Most Vulnerable - Appeal for donations & changes in service

An appeal from Sufra Foodbank

The Perfect Storm for Food Banks 

A Note from the Director

It’s the last thing we need when experiencing the highest demand for emergency food aid in our history: Coronavirus.

While people are fighting over the last toilet roll in their supermarket, our donations of food from the public are dwindling, and we are struggling to purchase the food and toiletries we provide in the quantities we need. It’s likely that the situation will deteriorate further in coming days.
Aside from a host of additional hygiene measures designed to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our community, we are having to make some difficult choices about how – and if – we can run our services.

Never before in our history have we cancelled Food Bank or Community Kitchen – not even when it falls on Christmas Day or Easter Sunday. But we have now stripped back our services to ensure that we can still support the most vulnerable in a way that minimises potential transmission.

Our guests (service users) have more vulnerabilities than the average population. Many of them are refugees or asylum seekers with links to Iran, Italy and other countries which have experienced high risk of infection.

From this week, our Community Kitchen will operate on a take-away basis, meanwhile all of our advice work for food bank guests, refugees and asylum seekers will be done over the phone.

It’s likely that by next week we may need to move to Phase 2 of our action plan, which will involve shifting to a delivery-only service for the majority of our food bank guests.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. All the indications are that the UK is on the precipice of a recession, which will mean that financial donations to the charity will also start drying-up while demand for food aid rises. Add to this the impact of austerity and universal credit and you can see why this really is the perfect storm.

Families that visit food banks simply can’t afford to hoard food in the way that others have been doing in the past few days. That’s why we’re asking you to donate surplus food or toiletries to Sufra NW London (or any other food bank near you). Click here to see a list of items we need.

Please also consider making a financial donation to help get Sufra through the next few months.
Thank you.
Rajesh Makwana
Director @SufraNWLondon

Great opportunity for 11-18 year olds at Sufra Summer Academy

From Sufra NW London (Ed: This is brilliant!)

The Summer Academy is our latest AQA accredited course aimed at young people between 11-18 years of age who have an interest in food – whether it’s eating it, growing it or cooking it!

The week-long course will be taught from our kitchen as well as on St. Raphael’s Edible Garden, and is designed to give participants a deeper insight into the principles of healthy eating, food preparation and horticulture. The course runs from Monday to Friday, with a free day-trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew on the Wednesday.

It’s a fun and engaging course that will help develop self-esteem and confidence, whilst also teaching young people to cook a range of nutritious meals. We provide additional support with literacy, numeracy and CV writing where necessary – which could open up routes into future employment or apprenticeships in the gardening or catering industries.

Course dates and times

We have two courses running over the summer holidays:

• Monday 19th, Tuesday 20th, Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd August 2019, from 10am to 5pm
• Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th, Thursday 29th and Friday 30th August 2019, from 10am to 5pm

Notice: Please be aware that there will be no classes on Wednesdays.

If you are interested in enrolling, please download and compete the Registration Form (see link below) and return it to admin@sufra-nwlondon.org.uk

If you have any questions, please email us or call 020 3441 1335

You can download the Registration Form here

Please note: The course is offered free of charge, but we do require a £10 fully-refundable deposit for each participant.

 

Sufra Foodbank issues urgent van appeal - please help & join in One Tonne Fundraising Walk

From Sufra NW London

I have some tragic news.

After 5 years of loyal service, collecting and distributing the equivalent of over half a million meals, our lonf-suffering van has suffered a fatal electric failure. The cost of repair does not make it a viable investment. It is now destined for the scrap heap.

Our work is dependent on the van. It runs 7 days/week, 365/days of the year. Though it operates mainly within a 3 miles radius, it has travelled over 10,000 miles in the last year. Without it, the Food Bank might just as well close its doors.

Today, we are launching an urgent Van Appeal to raise £20,000 in the next 6 weeks. We must purchase a replacement in time for Christmas - our busiest time of the year. We simply have no choice.

So, I turn to you, to beg for your support. Please make a donation to our Van Appeal here.

The ONE Tonne Walk 

On Saturday 10 November 2018, we have a major food collection at Asda Wembley Park. How will we get 1 tonne of donated food to the Food Bank?

We will carry it by hand. 

To support the Van Appeal we are launching the most outlandish fundraising walk in history on Saturday 10 November 2018 from 1pm to 4pm. The ONE Tonne Walk will see volunteers carrying crates and dragging yellow bins full of food from Asda Wembley Park, past Brent Civic Centre and Wembley Stadium, down Harrow Road to Sufra NW London.

Along the way we will distribute Van Appeal flyers, protest against food poverty (with banners and placards!) and make a shocking racket with drums and trumpets.

Because we will #FightFoodPoverty.

We need YOU to take part in The ONE Tonne Walk on Saturday 10 November 2018. Please register here.

If you can't carry a heavy crate, you can carry a donation box. If you can't drag a yellow bin of food, you can hold a placard.

Or you can just walk in solidarity with us.

You may want to fundraise. You may just want to protest against food poverty. But together we will raise £20,000 to purchase a new van and enable the Food Bank to deliver over 100,000 meals every year - for many years to come.

Make a donation here.

Sign up for The ONE Tonne Walk here.

Together we can do this. Don't let the team down. 

 Mohammed S Mamdani
Director

Refugee Resettlement: Just £2 donation from you will help Sufra win £1,000 of match-funding

From Sufra NW London

Sufra NW London is in line to win £1,000 of match-funding thanks to Lamyaa Hanchaoui, a spoken word poet, who is fundraising for our Refugee Resettlement Programme.
 
But we need YOUR help to win.
 
The charity that receives 250 individual donations wins. So please support Lamyaa by donating just £2 using on her fundraising page here. Just £2. No more.
 
[To be clear, it doesn’t matter how much you donate. It is the number of people who back us that will determine whether we win.]
 
If we win, we can help more people like Hiba, a refugee from Syria

This is what she says (translated into English):
 
“I came to this country from Syria a year ago with my husband and two daughters. After the start of the Syrian civil war, we fled our homes and lived in a refugee camp in Lebanon. The conditions were terrible. Thankfully, we were selected for resettlement in the UK as part of the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS).
 
I remember the first night that we arrived. It was cold and windy, and everything looked so different. As we entered our flat, we were greeted by staff and volunteers of Sufra NW London who brought us food, bedding and household supplies. We will never forget that.
 
Since then, the charity has helped us in so many ways – whenever we have a problem we know that we can call Sufra NW London. It is very hard when you do not speak the language and you do not understand local traditions and customs. With the help of Sufra NW London, I have started English classes and my husband has found a work placement with a local construction company.
 
We may never be able to return to Syria, but I am blessed that we have a new home in the UK.”

 
Support our Refugee Resettlement Programme with a donation of just £2 here.
 
To thank you for your help, Lamyaa Hanchaoui would like to gift you a track of her spoken word poetry on the Syrian refugee crisis, which is available here. You can also read more about her motivations for supporting our Refugee Resettlement Programme on her blog, available here. 
 
Final Call

Over 70% of tickets for Sufra NW London’s Fifth Anniversary Party on Thursday 26 April 2018 have disappeared! To avoid missing out, register here. I hear there’s going to be a chocolate fountain.
 

A moving story that shows why Sufra deserves your support

Sufra is so much more than just a foodbank. This is an extract from their most recent Newsletter:

Abaeze, his wife and 2 sons, aged 9 and 13, sat in our office for 4 hours. Throughout, the mother sobbed. The family are asylum seekers and had overspent on the goodwill of a local taxi driver who had been housing them for the past 8 months. In the morning, he dropped them off at the Food Bank and pointed to Ibrahim saying, “They’ll help you.”

This is not an unusual occurrence. Sufra NW London, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, was never just a Food Bank. We’re an all-encompassing safety net for everyone and anyone who can’t get the help they need. As asylum seekers, Abaeze and his family are not eligible for benefits and he is not allowed to work. If caught working, he could be deported immediately.

As Ibrahim made the usual raft of calls trying to find every possible avenue of support, I looked on as the hours passed by without any resolution. Every ounce of dignity had been stripped away from this family, and the sight of the inconsolable, sobbing mother was disturbing. And incredibly distracting. First I offered tea and coffee, but they refused. When Fahim arrived with a delivery of fruit, I asked if they wanted some. Shyly, Abaeze said no. I packed them a bag anyway and asked Abaeze to keep it with him just in case, in the hope that they would be tempted to look through the bag and eat something when I wasn’t looking.

In some ways it was a pathetic gesture. The family was homeless and I was offering oranges and bananas.

As the working day came to a close without any prospect of finding housing, I turned to Ibrahim and said, “Book them a hotel.”

”But you said there was no money,” he asked.

Whilst it is true that our emergency aid budget currently stands at zero, I told him to go ahead.

”The money will come. We’ll put out an appeal on social media.”

As the family made their way out of the office, Abaeze came to me and hugged me. And he wouldn’t let go. “Thank you”, he kept muttering. I was embarrassed.

Fast forward 8 days, Abaeze and his family now live in temporary accommodation in Kilburn. By profession, Abaeze is a chef and he’s already started volunteering at Sufra NW London. But without the right to work and no entitlement to benefits, he will be reliant on the Food Bank for months to come. Maybe longer.

There will be some that judge Abaeze when he gets a dodgy job washing dishes at a restaurant paying cash in hand. It’s inevitable. But there is something utterly unforgivable about the way our country treats asylum seekers fleeing conflict or persecution, and that policy has persisted across governments of all political persuasions.

”Maybe they’re economic migrants...” some might question. But what if they’re not? I’ve known people who have lived in this limbo for 4 or 5 years. No one would put themselves through the trauma of leaving their home country and all their possessions, unless he or she truly believes they have no alternative.

To make a donation towards our Refugee Resettlement Programme, click here. 

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Sufra Foodbank struggling to fill shelves asks for help from volunteers

From Sufra North West London

The food bank is struggling to keep up with demand and our shelves are almost empty. Help us to fill the food bank!

Volunteer with us on Saturday 10 February 2018 and Sunday 11 February 2018 for a 3-hour shift at ASDA Wembley Superstore, distributing "shopping lists" and encouraging customers to make a food donation.

We're looking for happy smiles and lots of enthusiasm. Sign up now.

Shift Timings:

Saturday 10 February 2018
- 10 am to 1 pm
- 1 pm to 4 pm
- 4 pm to 7 pm
- 7 pm to 10 pm

Sunday 11 February 2018
- 11 am to 2 pm
- 2 pm to 5 pm

Sign up HERE

Foodbanks in Brent: 'Behind every number is a person' - a revealing video

In an enterprising move the Scrutiny Task Group on Foodbanks has made a video about the role of foodbanks in Brent that catered for more than five and  a half thousand people last year. The roll out of Unoversal Credit this year is likely to increase the numners neeeding to use foodbanks.The Task Grpup, led by Cllr Roxanne Mashari, made 35 recommendations which can be read in the embedded document at the foot of this article.

The Task Group reports states:

Many local authorities like Brent find themselves in uncharted territory in relation to food banks . Alongside the absence of guidance for local authorities, the task group feels that there is room for improvement and external oversight with regards to safety, hygiene and safeguarding in many of the food aid providers locally.

The task group could not find any policy framework, or guidance outlining how local authorities should work with or alongside food banks.

This lack of understanding, policy and coordination presents a significant risk to public sector organisations, food banks and food bank users particularly as we approach the wider roll out of universal credit in 2018.

Time and again our task group heard of benefit delays, universal credit design problems, inaccessibility of services and sanctions driving ordinary people to extraordinary levels of desperation and destitution. We must be clear in our collective determination in Brent that our role as public and private sector bodies is to strategically tackle poverty and increase prosperity, not to create deprivation and poverty through our own policies. The fact that actions of publically funded bodies are a major driving force behind local food bank numbers is a cause for alarm and shame.

We cannot wait for the government to decide to take action when it comes to food banks , we must take matters into our own hands by demonstrating leadership and initiative to stem the tide of destitution and desperation . It is up to us to make sure that residents are not falling through the gaps of services and that there is a coordinated, preventative and interventionist approach. 

This task group has brought to light some of the most talented, hardworking and visionary individuals who help run food banks and provide a unique and vital service that would not otherwise be provided .  We have also witnessed heart - wrenching stories of neglect, desperation and abject poverty that have been both s hocking and upsetting.

What is clear is that this level of need and poverty must not be normalised or accepted.

It is time for all of us to take stock, to not shy away from the scale of the problem and to be nimble enough to respond to the shifting shape of provision for those in destitution, whether we agree with government policy in this area or not.

Our recommendations provide a blueprint for the first few steps in organising a coordinated response to this relatively new phenomenon and we will be holding local leaders to account over the next twelve months in order to translate policy and ideas into action that makes a difference on the ground.

Sufra Foodbank launch Christmas Giving Calendar for children

From Sufra NW London Foodbank

Do you want to teach your children how to give and experience charity?

This year, we are publishing our Xmas Giving Calendar that is perfect for parents to encourage their children to give regularly to charity during this festive period.

Download a copy here after completing the form.

Before December, prepare a large cardboard box for your children.

Throughout the festive period, fill the box with the food items, clothing and toiletries listed on the calendar. At the end of the month, deliver your box of donations to Sufra NW London’s food bank.

We will send a certificate and present to every child who fills a collection box!

Worthwhile jobs with Sufra NW London foodbank

Fancy a worthwhile job for an extremely successful worthwhile project in Brent?

Here goes…

Office Administrator (24 hours/week) £18,000 pro-rata   To deal with the hustle and bustle at Sufra NW London’s offices, we need an extra pair of hands to help out on a part-time basis with general administration from 9:30am to 2:30pm on weekdays. Perfect for a mum or dad with parenting responsibilities. But beware: you need to be organised and thick-skinned to deal some rather impertinent characters! Deadline: 15 September 2017   For more information, click here.   Community Garden & Learning Coordinator (full-time) - £25,000 St. Raphael’s Edible Garden, our new food growing space, is almost built! In preparation for the finale, we’re looking to recruit a Community Garden & Learning Coordinator who will design and deliver a fantastic horticulture programme with lots of new courses, events and activities. The successful candidate will be an experienced gardener/horticulturalist with teaching and project management experience. Deadline: 29 September 2017 For more information, click here. Marketing & Community Fundraising Officer (full-time) - £22,000-£25,000 Keeping the food bank running throughout the year is hard work. And we want to make sure everyone knows about Sufra NW London and is able to support our work in whatever way they can. We’re recruiting a Marketing & Community Fundraising Officer to raise the profile of the charity, oversee a regular schedule of fundraising activities and build new links and partnerships with local organisations, companies and places of worship. Deadline: 29 September 2017 For more information, click here. ESOL Teacher (sessional post) Rate negotiable As part of Sufra NW London’s work in supporting newly-arrived Syrian refugees, we are looking for an experienced, Arabic-speaking ESOL teacher to deliver basic English language skills training for adults. The post will initially commence with a weekly 2-hour class on a weekday evening, with additional hours made available as the programme expands. Deadline: 15 September 2017 (but applications will be considered immediately and an appointment made in advance of the deadline if a suitable candidate is found) For more information, click here.

10,000 meals for the vulnerable this Ramadan

 From Sufra Foodbank and Kitchen NW London

 BRENT - To mark the start of Ramadan, local Muslim communities across North-West London have launched a special appeal to deliver 10,000 meals over the next 30 days to disadvantaged and vulnerable families in the local community.

      Ramadan is the Muslim month of fasting, charity and penitence, when believers abstain from food and drink between dawn and dusk – which extends beyond 19 hours of the day during the summer months.

      At a cost of £1 per meal, local Muslim communities aim to raise £10,000 over the next month, which will ensure that Sufra NW London’s food bank and community kitchen can support over 500 people during Ramadan.

Donations towards the appeal can be made here.

      “We are very proud of our strong relationship with all faith communities who help to sustain the food bank throughout the year with their donations and in-kind contributions. We would like to wish our Muslim donors, friends and supporters a blessed month of Ramadan,” said Diarmuid O’Hegarty, Chair of Sufra NW London.

      Throughout Ramadan, local mosques are planning food collections, cooking sessions for the homeless and fundraising events coinciding with ‘iftar’ – the fast-breaking meal at sunset in aid of Sufra NW London.

      The charity has also launched a Ramadan Giving Calendar for children to learn about the importance of giving regularly to charity. The calendar is available here.

See 'I, Daniel Blake' free at Tricycle Kilburn tomorrow morning

There are still some free tickets available for tomorrow's  Sufra screening of Ken Loach's  I, Daniel Blake, at the Tricycle Cinema, Kilburn High Road, 10.30am.

In order for the organisers to monitor numbers please register HERE using the promotional code 'FRIENDS TICKET'.

Sufra NW London offer intensive 10 week catering training programme

From Mohammed S Mamdani, Director, Sufra NW London

Chef Ignacio is on a mission to recruit, train and find employment for 20 adults in the catering industry.

This autumn, Sufra NW London launches Food Academy Plus, which will transform the lives of people who are on a low-income or long-term unemployed. It’s an intensive 10-week programme, requiring a commitment of 24 hours each week, which will include all the training, coaching and support needed to find sustainable employment.

It’s our most exciting project ever (I know I’ve said that about everything we do, but seriously, it gets even more exciting every time!).

Across the programme, participants will learn professional cooking skills, project management skills and customer service. There will also be compulsory study sessions in numeracy, literacy and ICT, work experience in a professional restaurant at the London Designer Outlet – as well as the support of a mentor and employment coach throughout. There will be plenty of real-life experience, including setting up a food stall outside Brent Civic Centre.

The programme will end with a pop-up restaurant at Sufra NW London, where we will invite local employers to see the skills of our graduates first-hand and head-hunt for new chefs, waiters and restaurant staff.

As an incentive, participants will receive a free chef’s uniform, 3-month bus pass and access to all in-house support and opportunities available at Sufra NW London. That includes a discretionary fund, which is used to financially support vulnerable and/or low-income volunteers. It really gets better and better!

We’re making a huge investment in this programme, and Chef Ignacio has a little bit of the Gordon Ramsey about him. He takes no bullsh*t and is looking for committed people who really want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Interested candidates will need to complete an application form, which is available here. The deadline for applications is Thursday 22 September 2016 with interviews the following week.

VOLUNTEER: To support the programme, Chef Ignacio is looking for additional volunteers to assist with basic skills training in literacy, numeracy and ICT as well mentoring new recruits. You can find information on both roles here.

PROMOTE: If you work for a charity or community organisation, and would like us to come and present the opportunity to your service users or members, Paul and Karlem will be happy to come over for a chat.

What’s happening to the regular Food Academy programme?

It’s still happening. Chef Ignacio will continue to invest in the cookery skills of young people. If you’re aged under 19 years (and older than 12) expect to be astounded by Ignacio’s knife skills and his focaccia bread.

The course runs on Saturday mornings from 10am to 2pm for 5 weeks. At the end you’ll receive a recognised AQA certificate. You can register here.

Latest community news from Sufra Foodbank and Kitchen - get involved!

News from Sufra Foodbank

If you walk into Sufra over the next few weeks don’t be surprised to find groups of young people lounging in the foyer, raiding the fridge or hovering around the office.

This summer, we’ve truly embraced the hug a hoodie mantra - throngs of young people are volunteering for the charity in the office, warehouse and the garden. Although it does mean tolerating some questionable music blasting in the background (Hotline Bling is a particular favourite at the moment) there’s a real party atmosphere.

I’ve met some amazing young people in the last week. There’s 14-year-old Adam who knows how to code pretty much anything, 16-year-old Sami who can tell you everything about breeding quails and is insisting on setting up a chicken coop in the garden, 15-year-old Davina who taught herself Chinese (as you do) and 16-year-old Ibrahim (he’s the “runner” we spoke about last time) who turns out to be an amateur film-maker.

Summer BBQ on St. Raphael’s Estate
We’re opening up the party to the whole community!

This Saturday, 30 July, we’re throwing our third annual Summer BBQ for St. Raphael’s Estate. This year there will be no queues for burgers – Daniels Estate Agents have kindly donated a super industrial barbecue to mark the occasion. We just have to hope that Ahmed, Parminder and Iwona can cook 500 burgers in 3 hours!

Alongside the barbecue, Dina and Ros will be offering exclusive tours of St. Raphael’s Edible Garden, Brent Start will be running workshops on healthy eating, cake-decorating and puppet-making (which is what I’m looking forward to!). Ibrahim and Adam will be selling oreo and strawberry milkshakes.

Come along to savour our culinary delights and learn more about Sufra NW London.

Kew Gardens to Bournemouth

We’re really grateful to Brent Community Transport who sponsored two trips to Kew Gardens and Bournemouth for our food bank users, who would not normally be able to afford a holiday or a day out.

One very sweet lady was overjoyed after returning from Bournemouth. “It was great to have some time to forget about all the problems at home.” Very cute.

St. Raphael’s Edible Garden

If you haven’t been around to Sufra recently, you’ll be surprised to see how far the garden has come along! Yesterday I picked the first peach from our mini orchard – our first harvest. It was emotional. And rather bitter for my taste.

Over the next month we need some burly lads to dig out the pond. [Girls I think you can issue a challenge here MF] To be fair, it’s already been dug out. It just needs to be deeper. Come along on Sundays, between 10am and 2pm to help out. Sign up here.

Bottle Appeal

If you’re organising your own summer party, don’t forget to collect all your 2 litre soda bottles and drop them off to Sufra. So far we’ve collected over 100 bottles to build a greenhouse on St. Raphael’s Edible Garden, but we need over 1,500 to make sure the roof doesn’t leak!

Rui has been busy in the garden building the frame of the greenhouse, but the walls are looking rather bare. It’s a perfect excuse to overdose on sugary drinks.

Summer Academy

There are no spaces left (I did warn you to be quick), but if you want to sign up in advance for our Food Academy in September, download a Registration Form here.

Other Volunteering Opportunities:

This isn’t the most exciting role to be fair... We need some volunteers to do some data entry – there’s some with over 1,000 records to be input. I won’t try and sell it. Even I would struggle, despite all my talents. But if you want an invite to Nandos, drop me a line. You will have to work from the office, but we’re flexible on days/times.

If chicken isn’t your thing, or you’re vegetarian, you might want to sign up for our next supermarket collection.

It’s a bit early, but at least you can’t make the usual excuses of having planned a day out with friends. It’s Sat/Sun 3/4 September at Asda Park Royal. If you can flirt with customers, this is probably the right role for you. Sign up here.

And finally, I look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

Yours,


Mohammed S Mamdani
Director

Visit St Raphael's Edible Garden on Saturday afternoon

Pitfield Way, St Raphael's, Neasden, London,  NW10 0PR

Experienced food grower needed for St Raphael's Edible Garden Project

www.sufra-nwlondon.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1151911

Growing Tutor

St. Raphael’s Edible Garden

Salary: £15/hour (negotiable)

Hours: Tuesday & Saturday Mornings (8 hours/week)

Responsible to: Director

Location: Stonebridge, London Borough of Brent

Are you passionate about growing your own vegetables?

Then this job is for YOU.

Sufra NW London is a local charity, which aims to confront the causes and effects of poverty in the local community. Our service revolves around the food bank, which collects and distributes 26 tonnes of donated food annually, supporting over 3,000 people each year.

The charity is soon to launch St. Raphael’s Edible Garden, a new food growing project on St. Raphael’s Estate. The charity has recently acquired a derelict site measuring over 500 square metres, which is currently being transformed into a communal growing facility for local residents.

In preparation for the launch of the project, we are looking to recruit an experienced gardener/food grower to lead the project and oversee a community growing club. The successful candidate will need to be able to inspire others and deliver both informal and structured training in horticulture.

For further information or to apply for this role, please submit a CV, Covering Letter (no more than 2 sides) and Equal Opportunities Form by email to admin@sufra-nwlondon.org.uk. The deadline for applications is Friday 28 August 2015.

The Edible Food Garden Site that awaits development

Job Description

Role

To oversee the development of St. Raphael’s Edible Garden, facilitate all growing activities and deliver informal and structured training in horticultural to local residents and beneficiaries of the project, including children, vulnerable adults and the disabled.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

·      Preparing a seasonal growing plan, in collaboration with local residents and volunteers;

·      Overseeing the delivery of two weekly growing clubs on Tuesday and Saturday mornings;

·      Engaging a wide range of regular and one-off volunteers, including school children, vulnerable adults, older people, faith groups and corporate/public-sector teams;

·      Delivering informal and accredited training in food growing and horticulture;

·      Undertaking inventories of tools, equipment and planting materials, and subsequent procurement of new supplies in a cost-efficient manner;

·      Maintaining existing growing infrastructure and developing new growing facilities in accordance with the overall vision of the site;

·      Supporting marketing, outreach and PR activities;

·      Compiling monitoring data relating to the project and project users, as required by funders;

·      Assisting in the general maintenance and cleanliness of the site.

Additional Duties

·      Undertaking any other reasonable duties to support the development of the project;

·      Working in collaboration with the Charity’s wider projects and in accordance with its ethos and values.

Person Specification

E = Essential / D = Desirable

A = Application / I = Interview / T = Test

Competency	Specification	E	D	A	I	T
Education	Relevant qualification in gardening or horticultural		ü	ü
Experience	Developing/Managing food growing projects	ü		ü	ü
	Tutoring, coaching and mentoring	ü		ü	ü
	Facilitating structured learning programmes		ü	ü	ü
	Working with vulnerable people	ü		ü	ü
	Organising projects, activities/events		ü	ü	ü
Knowledge	Landscaping or garden design		ü	ü	ü
	Food growing, composting and harvesting produce	ü		ü	ü
	Building raised beds and growing infrastructure	ü		ü	ü
Skills & Abilities	Good communication skills, both written and oral	ü		ü	ü
	Ability to work with others professionally	ü		ü	ü
	IT Literate (Microsoft Office)	ü		ü
	Heavy lifting		ü	ü
Attitude	Honest and trustworthy	ü		ü	ü
	Positive and hard-working	ü		ü	ü
	Commitment to the values of Sufra NW London	ü		ü	ü

The post is subject to a probationary period of 3 months.