A NEW gardening project which aims to give city children an opportunity to grown their own foods is preparing for the Harvest Festival.
Cultivate London has been running in Ealing and Hounslow for only six months and its green-fingered youngsters have already been selling their wares at West Ealing Farmers Market, in Leeland Road.
The charity is funded by Pathways (formerly the Ealing and Brentford Consolidated Charity), and supported by the Big Lottery's Local Food programme and the Mayor of London. The scheme is a great way for unemployed young people aged 16 to 25 to do something positive with their time while boosting their CVs.
Justin Pearson, 19, is one of the volunteers and just finished a placement at Ham House in Richmond.
He said: “I used to be quite shy and hesitant around people I didn’t know, but when I got to Cultivate I slipped in and started to get to know people quite well.
"Now I can put this on my CV, even if it’s just a month’s work experience. It’s the National Trust, so it’s quite a big thing to be able to put down.”
They have two farms based in Brentford and Isleworth.
For more information and how to take part visit www.cultivatelondon.org
