The Comfrey Project CIO
The Comfrey Project is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation based in Gateshead. We primarily support the health and wellbeing of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Tyneside area through Social Therapeutic Horticulture.
About our community
The Comfrey Project is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation based in Gateshead. We primarily support the health and wellbeing of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Tyneside area through Social Therapeutic Horticulture. We support integration in the local community through language development, active citizenship, shared creative activities, and volunteer-led gardening services. Our main sites are the Windmill Hills community centre in Bensham, Gateshead; Moorside Allotment in Fenham, Newcastle (where we provide social therapeutic horticulture sessions for survivors of torture) and Whinneyfield Allotment in Walkergate, Newcastle (where we provide progression routes for volunteers). During the Coronavirus crisis we have provided remote services for our participants and volunteers including monthly wellbeing parcels, phone befriending, internet access support, and online language support.
The change we want to see
Our vision is to enable people who are refugees or seeking asylum to be included and respected as equals in society. We strive to raise their conditions of life and wellbeing, primarily through the provision of horticultural and nature-based activities. We want to see true parity and positive social change that benefits refugees, people seeking asylum and the wider community to overcome barriers to wellbeing and integration.