From Microgreens to Big Ideas: A Day with Done Together CIC
A glimpse behind the scenes at Done Together CIC as Natalie and Bev take on three sessions in one busy Thursday, from growing microgreens and making hand cream to supporting young people's ideas for Wrecsam2029.
4 min read
Our first session of the day was at Lle Hapus, where we were delivering the third session of our Grow Together hydroponics project from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.
This time, participants were learning all about microgreens with Mark Roberts from GroZen, including how to grow their own. Everyone also had the opportunity to plant some seeds to take home.
We were also joined by Dr Isabella Nyambayo from Wrexham University, who delivered a fascinating talk about nutrition and the benefits of plants for our health. Her enthusiasm and passion for the subject really came across, and it was lovely to see participants learning something new.
Meanwhile, we were doing a little bit of everything. Setting up, making sure everyone had what they needed, helping with activities, taking photographs and keeping the drinks and snacks flowing.
Before we knew it, the session was over, and it was time to pack everything away and head to our next stop.
Next Stop: Ysgol Bryn Alyn
Three sessions, three very different groups of people, two busy directors and a car packed to the roof with resources. Just another Thursday at Done Together CIC!
Yesterday was one of those days where we looked at our diaries and wondered how we were going to fit everything in. We had three sessions to deliver, at three different venues, working with completely different groups of people. It was going to be a busy one!
Of course, the preparation had started long before Thursday morning. Bev had spent Wednesday evening making sure all the paperwork was ready, including registers, handouts and everything else we needed for the day. By Thursday, Natalie's car was packed practically to the roof with resources for all three sessions.
And before we'd even delivered our first activity, Natalie had a morning meeting about a potential new project, while Bev was busy working on a funding application for another.
There's never a dull moment!
First Stop: Grow Together
Thankfully, we managed to squeeze in a quick sandwich before heading to our final session of the day. We also had time to drop off some of the resources from our earlier activities, creating a little more room in Natalie's car!
Our final stop was Wrexham University's Creative Industries Building for another meeting of the Wrecsam2029 Youth Forum.
Nine young people joined us, including two new members, for an evening exploring creative industries and discussing Wrexham's bid to become UK City of Culture 2029.
The young people enjoyed a tour of the building with Steffan Owens, Principal Lecturer in Games and Creative Media Technology, and Morgan Thomas and Osian Andrew from Wrexham Community & Culture Trust also joined us.
After watching the Wrecsam2029 promotional video, the group shared their ideas about what makes Wrexham special, where they thought the judges should visit and what they would like to see included during the upcoming judges' visit.
Our role was to help everything run smoothly, from setting up the room and providing refreshments to facilitating the session, supporting discussions and, of course, taking more photographs!
It was a great way to finish the day's activities, listening to young people talk about their town and what they would like its future to look like.
And Finally, Home!
Throughout the day, we'd also been keeping up with emails, answering phone calls, editing photographs and dealing with the usual bits and pieces that come with running a CIC.
Lunch had mostly consisted of snacks, a hastily grabbed sandwich and rather a lot of caffeine! By the time Natalie dropped Bev home at around 8.45pm, we were definitely ready to put our feet up.
We were tired, but happy. We'd managed to deliver three successful sessions, meet some lovely people, support participants of different ages and backgrounds and make progress on other projects along the way.
No Two Days Are the Same
One of the things we love most about Done Together is just how varied our work is.
In the space of one day, we'd gone from working with adults learning about growing food and nutrition, to supporting secondary school pupils with practical health and beauty activities, to helping young people have their say about Wrexham's cultural future.
Our work isn't limited to one age group, one type of activity or one setting. We work in schools, community venues, universities and wherever else a project might take us.
And while days like yesterday can be a bit of a logistical challenge, they're also a reminder of why we enjoy what we do.
There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes, from funding applications and planning to packing cars, preparing paperwork, organising refreshments and making sure everything is ready for participants to arrive.
It's busy, sometimes a little chaotic, but always varied, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Three sessions, one very full car, countless cups of caffeine and lots of happy faces. Not bad for a Thursday!
With just half an hour between sessions, there wasn't much time to spare!
We headed straight to Ysgol Bryn Alyn, where we met up with fellow Done Together director Amber Percy for another of our Health & Beauty sessions as part of the school's Extended School Day programme.
This week's activity was all about hand care, with pupils learning how to make their own hand cream and enjoying a demonstration of hand massage techniques.
Amber led the massage demonstration and supported the pupils in learning the techniques, while Natalie took the lead on making the hand creams. Bev helped the pupils with their creations and managed to capture plenty of photographs along the way.
There were lots of smiles, laughter and some very happy pupils. It's always lovely seeing young people getting stuck into something practical, especially when they get to take home something they've made themselves.
Another successful session finished, and we were off again!
Final Stop: Wrecsam2029 Youth Forum
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