The Walton Lea Partnership
Social Inclusion
We want to create a public access memorial rose garden inside the Walton Lea walled garden to provide a place for peaceful reflection.
About this cause
We provide learning, development, supported employment and quality of life to 65 Learning Disabled Adults on two sites the Victorian Walled Garden at Walton Lea in Walton, and at our Long Lane Garden Centre, Orford. The Charity provides a non-statutory service and what we provide is therefore substantially underfunded: we just about cover our support staff wages with the Council's daily payment of £25 per beneficiary. In these circumstances we need to pump-prime social enterprises that involve our beneficiaries but will cover the balance of our costs (infrastructure repair and maintenance, utilities, management, insurances, transport /vehicle, lease costs for the Orford site, ICT etc where annual costs amount to about another £150k per annum). This year we made a very small surplus.
How this cause brings people in the community together
The Walton Lea garden will become more accessible and closer to the hearts of the local community.. Our work will challenge social stigma and socially integrate our Learning Disabled beneficiaries via highly visible supported work in the memorial rose garden. Our beneficiaries will engage visitors and provide a compassionate socially valuable service. We hope to create good from sadness.