More green fingers for work at Elemore Country Park

Bishopwearmouth Co-operative is based at the Bishopwearmouth Nursery in Chester Road. It has its own garden centre, tea rooms and offers gardening and landscaping services for the public.

In 2023 it expanded to Elemore Country Park in Easington Lane with a garden centre and coffee shop.

A key part of its work is how the company encourages and provides work and training opportunities in horticultural, floristry and other gardening services. All the opportunities are for older people, vulnerable adults, people who may have a learning disability, physical disability, or have mental health needs.

Sunderland City Council's decision-making Cabinet has now backed a £125,000 grant to help provide further training and work-based placements focused on Elemore Country Park. The funding was backed at the Cabinet meeting in City Hall on Thursday 19 September. It is to help towards providing six full-time placements for day and volunteering opportunities over the next two years.

The City Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Community Services, Councillor Kelly Chequer welcomed the support.

She said: "As a council we are completely committed to supporting everyone in our communities and to reducing inequalities. The Bishopwearmouth Co-operative company continues to do great work with vulnerable adults and helping them to move on to greater independence."

"Alongside this important work with people, the funding helps support the ongoing investment in Elemore and our communities in the Coalfield area as we bring more improvements to this great new and still improving country park."

Elemore is following in the footsteps of other similar and successfully reclaimed colliery sites in and around Sunderland such as Hetton Lyons Country Park, Herrington Country Park and Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve. They are all examples of how land once set over to the coal mining industry can become new ecosystems and community assets. This summer Elemore hosted its second Family Music Festival on Saturday 24 August.

Bishopwearmouth Co-operative CIC, currently employs 30 staff and has provided over a hundred job, training and volunteer opportunities since it was founded.

Managing Director Shaun Donnelly said: "This is brilliant news it will allow Bishopwearmouth to build on its volunteer and day opportunities for vulnerable adults. The grant from the council will allow us to provide day opportunities and training in catering and horticulture, we will also continue to assist the community by working within Elemore Country Park and organising events. 

"In addition to the park's schedule of events, our team will continue working with other partners in the park assisting with tree planting and maintenance."