Young people from Chantry Academy will be cooking, baking and helping at the café at the People’s Community Garden’s first produce market of the year on Friday 16th March from 10am to 12.30pm at the CRESS Pavilion, Halifax Road, Ipswich IP2 8RE.

In a new initiative with ActivGardens, part of local charity ActivLives, pupils from three Ipswich schools will learn valuable skills for work and life, as they talk to local people and serve up goodies they have made at school.

The other schools involved are Ipswich Academy, and Stoke High Ormiston Academy – situated close to the People’s Community Garden on Maidenhall Allotments. The three academies will take it in turns to host the CRESS community café at the monthly produce market.

ActivGardens Project Co-ordinator Danny Thorrington said: “We are excited about this new initiative. The young people involved are so enthusiastic, work so hard, and bring such a buzz to this wonderful community initiative.”

Meanwhile, there will be produce freshly picked from the community garden, plot-ready seedlings, and bedding plants to brighten up your garden or windowsill.

ActivSheds will be in full swing – find out more about this great woodworking and construction project, where our volunteers are busy making bird boxes for nesting time.

Maidenhall Residents’ Association will be offering bric-a-brac, handmade cards and household items, while other organisations will be joining in with items for sale and local information.

Come and relax with a cuppa and get to know your neighbours.

There is parking in on site car park and in surrounding roads. The CRESS Pavilion is fully accessible with an accessible toilet.

Future 2018 CRESS markets will be held on FRIDAY 13 April, 11 May, 15 June, July market is replaced by the Big Garden Party on Saturday 21 July, 10 August, 14 September, 5 October – celebrating the wonderful world of fungus! There will be no market in November as we prepare for our Christmas Market (talking about Christmas already!) on Friday 7 December 2018.