December, as always, is a rather busy month for us. We host our wreath making workshops that so many of you love and attend various Christmas markets selling our jams and chutneys. We hosted 6 wreath workshops and had some great feedback from attendees which we’re hoping to implement with this year’s events. During the Maghull artisan Christmas market we sold our entire stock of jam!
“t was such fun learning a new skill, being creative and making friends” – From wreath making workshop 2022
For Christmas celebrations at North Park Community Garden we gathered together to eat chips, do a festive quiz, sing some carols and laugh about what a year we had. Through the ups and downs of 2022 our gardeners have always given us support and encouragement to each other, we couldn’t be more proud of them. 6 gardeners who attend the garden regularly have undergone volutter training so they can help run our weekly sessions. We now have 6 volunteers who are skilled at helping out and assisting in running our sessions in the park.
“I never hear laughter anywhere else like I do here – the main thing I love about this place is the laughter” – Volunteer M
We’re still working hard behind the scenes to get our container kitchen planned and ready for 2023. Although we feel somewhat out of our depth, each step we take is bringing us closer to opening our doors to you. In December our electricity was installed, water was connected in February and our container will be arriving by April so there’s no stopping us now! We are still trying to locate funds to fully furnish and equip the kitchen with the tools we need to run so please continue to support by sharing our social media posts and by buying jams from us.
Spring is creeping up on us, you’ve probably spotted your own signs of daffodils and crocuses blooming in the wild around you. At the garden we’ve been planting bulbs and sowing seeds for the growing season ahead of us. The poly tunnel has been incredibly helpful in giving us a head start at sowing what we need rather than waiting until the British weather brightens up. This year we’re hoping to sell various plants and seedlings to give you a hand with your own garden at home and simultaneously support our fundraising for the kitchen! Please do get in touch if there’s any vegetable seedlings you’d be interested in buying from us.
Love from,
Team Gateway
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Hartley’s Newspaper now available
Our heritage group have been working hard and have produced a newspaper all about William Hartley and his love of jam and people (2 of the things we love as well!)
This newspaper is available in Gateway Kitchen Community Cafe, Bootle Library and Crosby Library if you want a physical copy or feel free to download it here!
Made possible with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund we have been exploring Bootle’s jam making heritage, focusing on Hartleys Jam. William Pickles Hartley founded Hartleys Jam in Bootle in 1874. We have explored the archives of local libraries and the universities and have found out A LOT about this remarkable man. Our findings will be published in a newspaper later in the year but the parallels for today need to be shared sooner!
Hartley was a self made man. He didn’t come from a wealthy family but he had a vision and he believed he could achieve.
What would the world look like today if we took the opportunities available to us?
Hartley was honest. He believed his products should be high quality and sold at a fair price
What would the world look like today if everyone was honest and fair in business?
Hartley believed he had a responsibility to the people around him. When he got married he pledged to give 10% of his income to charitable causes and this had risen to 33% at the time of his death. In total he gave away 1 million pounds which equates to £154,036,551 today.
What would the world look like today if big businesses looked after their local communities?
Hartley was a devout Primitive Methodist and his Christian faith was evident in everything he did. “My daily prayer is that God will show me what he wishes me to do. I only want to see clearly his guiding hand, and I am daily asking him to lead me.”
If Hartley was alive today it is possible he would be diagnosed as bi-polar. His mood fluctuated between times of intense focus and productivity and times where he struggled to get out of bed and his anxious thoughts overwhelmed him.
What would the world look like today if we believed people with mental ill-health could achieve great things?
