The Calthorpe Project
Case Studies
Here are some case studies about the work carried out at The Calthorpe Project.
Under 5's
Under 5's Case Study 4
My 3 year old son and I are regular attendees of the Calthorpe Project and in the Calthorpe we have found our "PlayGroup" spiritual home.
I had heard about the Calthorpe and all their interesting activities but I presumed my son was possibly too young for them then, or so I thought, as now we are regular attendees I see that even the babies are included and enjoy the creative, gardening and other activities on offer there.
The other reasons we took so long to attend were that I heard they had lost funding - what a travesty! One that must never happen again!! - and also for practical reasons. I have physical disabilities meaning I am often in a wheelchair and I am unable to get around on public transport or walking far with a walking stick so we had to access groups by taxi and it was just a bit further and therefore more costly to attend than the other groups in my area. I have recently passed my driving test and got a car over the summer so now we do not have restrictions on where we go to activities.
Before my car arrived we attended a mask making Saturday workshop and found the Calthorpe so welcoming, relaxed, informal, friendly and warm. The people there seemed more like a family than play scheme workers and children and parents. There seemed to be a real connection between people and it was an extremely caring and nurturing environment to be in. My son loved the mask making and then playing in the play area with the other children after. When we left he cried and woke up the next morning asking to go back to The Calthorpe Project,- and I felt exactly the same. I decided it was well worth the extra cab fare until the car arrived and with my health allowing have been regular attenders since.
We use the general drop in and we also attend arts and craft sessions, cookery sessions, Little Green Fingers gardening, Saturday sessions and special events there. If it was open more we would go more and I know that to be the case for most of the parents there. It is also the only drop in, as far as I know, that opens all the way through the day so that the children can stay and play all day, lunchtime can be shared with a group and there is more camaraderie and scope for relationships developing for both parents and children.
The Calthorpe Project is an oasis of creativity, energy, stimulation, varied and imaginative structured play and warmth and fun. There is something magical and special about the place and I also think this has to do with their loving nurturing, sharing and caring community spirit. I have not seen this anywhere else.
The parents and children sitting and eating lunch together, the parents allowed to heat food up, use plates, cups etc (as well as the usual tea and coffee) and encouraged to use the facilities. Healthy eating and eating together is so important and sadly often lacking in today's family units so if this is not available at home then here is an opportunity in the day for children to experience this and benefit from it. With such a cross section of society and multi cultural group the diversity of food and language is also important for the children to experience. Food is often shared and different tastes are experienced and if their peers are eating something a faddy eater may be encouraged by that to join in and try something new. Soon there is family salsa workshop with Columbian food after which encourages family union and also diversity in culture and cuisine.
In other play groups the activities and group are mostly based on individual play and there is no real sense of community as when the play time ends so does the involvement and connection. In the Calthorpe Project they are friends and family always with an open armed welcome. In today's fractured society which greatly lacks that old fashioned sense of community and belonging it is so wonderful to encounter a place where these values are still apparent, relevant and a testament to why it is so important to have community spirit and a sense of belonging and living and working together in union, especially in a big city and in Central London where it is even more difficult to find.
There are outings that the gardening group regularly go on (which we can now attend as we have a car) but it would be great if they could get the funding for a mini- bus for all the different groups there to utilise for their outings. We are going as a group to see The Birmingham Repertory Ballet production of "The Snowman" at The Peacock Theatre in December and we will be having a Christmas fayre and Christmas party coming up. We recently as a group went on a visit to an apple orchard (though we were away that week) and the group with the older children's group and parents and Calthorpe workers went on a trip to "Roots and Shoots" in Kennington. We organised a picnic and we sat, all ages, all cultures, all together and had the most wonderful picnic,.... we shared recipes, stories, laughter and fun watching the children interacting and playing so well. It was a typical Calthorpe Project experience and another happy memory to treasure. Our next trip is to Hackney City Farm and there are more group trips planned in the near future.
The children in Little Fingers gardening group are introduced to different vegetables from planting the seeds to picking the finished product, and preparing cooking and eating it together as a group. Mila who runs the gardening group has given us recipes and vegetables we have picked to take home and try out encouraging healthy eating. A particular favourite was the Kale Pesto recipe resulting in children who would not eat Kale asking for seconds!!! Another recipe using green tomatoes by a lady from the Bengali gardening group was delicious. When the gardening finishes the wonderful, warm and gorgeous Theresa welcomes us back inside for play and even more interesting activities. She is always ready there to help, offer advice, give information, lift peoples spirits and is ever brimming with new ideas of activities and events for us as a group to do. Yesterday we picked leaves and did leaf pictures, hand prints with paint, fruit kebabs- (served with organic honey!!! ) and always served with a smile.
On Saturdays we have different craft sessions - coming up there are lavender bags, candle making, Christmas door wreaths. Past activities include baking bread, making masks, planting sun flowers and salad seeds, learning batik, jewellery making cooking and gardening and much more.
All cultures are embraced and respected at the Calthorpe - there is only one PC here- perfect community. Eid and Christmas etc are happily celebrated by all different cultures of families and with an interest and enthusiasm and respect for each others diversities and the children learn about different cultures from their own developing understanding and acceptance of them from a very early age. As parents our views are important and we are encouraged to be involved in decision making, ideas and planning so we really feel a part of the Calthorpe and its running. As parents our views, concerns and ideas are valuable and important to the staff. In conclusion, I have nothing but praise and positive statements about the Calthorpe Project and in particular the Under 5's group we attend, the only two negatives being that it is not open every day in the week and that we did not find it sooner. We look forward to more happy times there in the future and would encourage anyone that has not been before to try it and like myself, I am sure they too will find their "Playgroup Spiritual Home" there too.
Children
T.A's family have lived in the Kings Cross area for many years now. Her older brothers have played at the Calthorpe Project since they were small children. One of them, now 23, eventually came to work at the Calthorpe as a play and youth worker. T.A. says that she has always known The Calthorpe for as long as she can remember. She is 8 years old.
T.A's Mother was one of the founding members of the Bangladeshi Women's Gardening Group at The Calthorpe Project.
T.A. comes to the girls group on Wednesdays and says that if the Calthorpe was not here any more, she would probably go to Coram's Fields, but it would not be as much fun. She says that 'here you can play, do gardening, cook food, play sports or just sit around in the sun and chat to your friends'. She says she 'loves the girls group as the boys don't take over and make lots of noise and they are bossy sometimes'.
When asked what she would be doing today, if she wasn't at the Calthorpe, she said she would probably be at home playing with the Wii with her brothers and sister. I also asked if she ever talks about The Calthorpe Project to anyone else. She says that some times she tells her friends and teacher about what she did at the weekends and this is usually something that she did with her family or at The Calthorpe. T.A. also said that she is allowed to come here, as her Mum knows the staff and that she will be safe and taken care of.
Volunteers
Lucy has been coming to the Calthorpe Project on work experience for about three months now. She is currently on a horticultural training course at another project and comes to the Calthorpe one day a week. Since she has been with us Lucy has become a valued member of the team and has really come out of herself. When asked about how she feels she has progressed since being with us she replied that she feels more confident meeting and working with new people. Lucy also said that she would feel more confident about seeking employment in a similar sort of environment.
