Thank you for your interest in our community. Please read the below to find out more about…
Our Ways of Being
- We treat everyone in our community with respect, loyalty, patience, integrity, dignity, and consideration (this includes our garden and wildlife).
- We do not discriminate against or harass other people on the basis of their identity.
- We keep each other safe by following community guidelines for health and safety, safeguarding and photography/social media.
- We all take responsibility for growing and shaping our community in a way that empowers everyone to respect, connect with and revitalise ourselves, each other and the natural world.
Living Vital is a registered charity in England and Wales: 1192957.
Key Contacts
Alex Cotter (Co-founder and Director)
alex@livingvital.co.uk
Nick Grist (Co-founder and Safeguarding Lead)
nick@livingvital.co.uk
Adam Weston (Trustee)
adam@livingvital.co.uk
Neill Freer (Trustee) neill@livingvital.co.uk
Emily Jayne Bruce (Trainee Project Manager ) emily@livingvital.co.uk
To read about our key team members above, please visit the Our Team page.
Safeguarding
If you witness or suspect abuse of a child or adult, or someone discloses to you that they are being abused, it is your responsibility to report this to the Safeguarding Lead (Nick Grist) or Deputy Safeguarding Lead (xxx). It is not your responsibility to decide whether the claim is true or what action to take. Don’t assume that someone else will do it. Don’t worry if you are wrong — it is your responsibility to report the abuse, not to confirm or deny it.
Immediate Action
If someone is in immediate danger of harm, call 999 and inform the person in danger (if possible) and the Session Facilitator. Make sure you keep yourself safe and leave if you feel unsafe. Once the immediate danger has passed, follow the procedures below.
Disclosure of Abuse
If someone discloses to you that they or someone else is being abused, you should:
- Listen carefully and empathetically.
- Take the disclosure seriously and assume that it is true.
- Ask clarification questions to make sure you understand, but remember your role isn’t to interview, investigate or have a solution to the disclosure. Avoid probing or making the discloser uncomfortable.
- Do not promise to keep the disclosure a secret. Explain that you have a duty to report it to the Safeguarding Lead to prevent further harm. Explain that the Safeguarding Lead will speak to the person disclosing and decide what to do.
Witness or Suspicion of Abuse
You may want to speak to the person being abused about your suspicion and explain that you intend to report it, but you do not have to do this. You should report it, even if you think that individual may not wish anyone to know. The Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Safeguarding Lead will speak to the person and decide what to do.
How to Report
- Write down (during or after) as much detail as you can. This could include the date, time, and place of abuse, names of those involved, and nature of the abuse.
- Tell the Session Facilitator, Safeguarding Lead (Nick Grist) or Deputy Safeguarding Lead (xxx) as soon as possible (no longer than 48 hours). Let them know if you prefer to remain anonymous as the person reporting the concern.
- Do not confront the alleged abuser or speak about the disclosure to anyone other than the Session Facilitator, Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Safeguarding Lead.
- If reported to the Session Facilitator, the Session Facilitator should immediately pass this on to the Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Safeguarding Lead.
Staying Safe
- A full first aid kit can be found in the workshop. If you need first aid, please inform the session leader who has first aid training.
- If you injure yourself in any way or feel unwell, please let your session leader know so they can help you. Even if you don’t need help, let them know so they can prevent future accidents.
- Dress suitably for the garden. Boots, long trousers and sleeves, hats, gloves and sunscreen can help protect you from injury and weather.
- Never leave tools lying on the ground as these are a tripping hazard.
- There are some poisonous plants growing in the garden. Don’t eat anything unless you know or have checked that it’s safe.
- Don’t use power tools without discussing with the session leader first and receiving instruction if needed.
- Don’t lift heavy objects alone, ask for help.
- Take regular breaks and drink water while you work.
- Wash your hands before touching food.
- If you have a serious food allergy, inform the session directors and check the ingredients of any food before you eat it.
- Use separate cutlery for shared food bowls to avoid contaminating food for people who may be allergic.
- Take responsibility for what is happening around you. Look out for risks and if you see anything unsafe, inform one of the session leaders.
- Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. If something happens at the garden that affects your mental health, we encourage you to let us know and we will support you as best we can.
- We want the garden to be as accessible as possible. If there’s anything we can do to accommodate you better, we encourage you to let us know.
Photos and Social Media
Our WhatsApp group is for: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Our WhatsApp group is not for: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Please be particularly careful when taking photos of our refugee and asylum seeking community members. Ensure you ask for permission before you post their names or faces.
Feedback
We want our community to be shaped and shared by all its members so we welcome all feedback on ways we can evolve. If there’s something we’ve got wrong, we encourage you to let us know. We promise to listen and reflect on what you tell us, and to take action where we can to make things right or get it right next time. You will never be penalised or victimised simply for raising a concern.
If you want to give feedback, you can:
- Speak to a session leader or trustee.
- Send us a WhatsApp, text or email.
- Put a suggestion in our Suggestion Box on the inside of the workshop door (can be anonymous if you prefer).
- Attend one of our regular group feedback sessions.
You can also make a more formal complaint. For information on this process see our Feedback policy.
If you are interested in reading all of our policies, please click here.