The PEAT Project Is an open gardening programme which will include a wide range of informal learning activities  aimed at  helping  people gain valuable skills, and acquiring accredited qualifications  if wished,  whilst promoting a healthier lifestyle.
We have an acre of prime growing land on the outskirts of Penzance where we are teaching the basics of growing your own vegetables. Various accredited (NOCN) and non-accredited courses will be delivered throughout the project with the emphasis always on providing a training area where people of all levels of abilities and skills will be able to integrate happily with activities on site and with other participants. People will benefit through raised self confidence and self esteem, gaining new skills, enhanced employability if in the job market plus improved health and wellbeing, exercise out in the open air proven to be beneficial to both mind and body.

Trainees will be encouraged to ‘grow their own’ at home, on allotments or through a ‘garden share’ scheme with elderly or disabled people where all parties will benefit from the availability of fresh vegetables. We will also be delivering onsite cookery workshops showing a variety of cooking skills using seasonal vegetables which will also help to promote healthy eating plus socialising within the group.

Working with community groups will encourage community participation and provide a way of people ‘getting to know’ others within their own community. The community also benefits from having access to affordable produce in the same way that all participants will be encouraged to benefit from the produce grown on site.

We are also looking at working with local schools and other organisations whereby classes or groups can visit the site and work together on projects.

We aim to run a number of workshops including growing veg in containers, herbs and their uses, hanging baskets, plus a number of art related workshops such as willow weaving and mosaic making.

An onsite polytunnel will enable us to work through the year and provide us with a resource to enable early sowings of vegetables for next season plus providing shelter for some overwintering produce.