Students create new kitchen garden at The Exchange

: Created: 16 May 2019

The Exchange is a social enterprise founded by business partners Peter and Sarah three years ago. It aims to establish a sustainable future for Erith’s old library which was closed back in 2009. They submitted plans to Bexley Council to transform it into a community arts, culture and creative hub for the area. The project to breath new life back into the town’s grade 2 listed Carnegie building has so far seen the construction of a new roof and the ground floor completely re-fitted with the Bookstore Café.

Fundraising will continue for the rest of the year and it is hoped that The Exchange can raise another £1.6m to complete phase 2 of the project; enabling first and second floor refurbishments. This will involve converting the floors into open exhibition and theatre spaces with studios for making ceramics, textiles and print. All of these spaces will be available for hire.

With the College’s Bexley Campus immediately across the road from the old library, an alliance has formed between the two organisations over the last two years that has already seen the enlisting of art and media students working on a social media project to promote the Erith Pop-Up Lighthouse, construction students currently working on a new stone staircase to link the café’s patio to the gardens, performing arts students staging a promenade performance using the whole building, the shooting of a video for rap artist Romzy and now a group of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) students from the award winning Nido Volans Centre taking charge of the kitchen garden.

The students have already built a number of large wooden planters in their woodwork sessions and installed them ready for this week’s planting of fruit and vegetables that will allow the café to harvest fresh produce throughout the year.

Arriving with his team of keen growers, Paul said: “We have all been looking forward to today where we get to roll up our sleeves and finally turn this space into a proper garden. For the students, it means all of their preparations and hard work get to take shape and they are one step closer to reaping what they have sewn.

“This project is all about working as a team and with real clients to see a job through from beginning to end with successful outcomes. So far they are on course to achieve that and many skills are being learnt that will stand them in good stead when they eventually enter the job market.”

Student Jack Smith, 20, from Welling, is thoroughly enjoying working in the garden and playing an important and meaningful role within the team. He said: “I’m loving it. Working outdoors in the fresh air and amongst so many really nice people is something I want to continue to keep doing for as long as possible. I feel like I’m achieving something here and learning new things every day.”

More partnership projects between the College and The Exchange are due to take place during the next couple of months; one being the Art, Design and Media end-of-term diploma exhibition taking place in June. Watch this space!

For more information about our SEND provision click here.