A little update on our charity work
2 Sep 2022
2 Sep 2022
As busy as a squirrel with a bucket of acorns — that’s the last few months summed up at Tyler Grange. But while we’ve been preoccupied with exciting projects, our 4-day week trial, and applying for B-Corp status, helping others has never stopped being a priority.
Keep reading to learn what our Tribe has recently been doing to give back.
Every child deserves access to nature and all the wonder it contains. Farms for City Children makes this a reality for young people from disadvantaged communities.
Spending an afternoon on one of their farms equals planting and growing vegetables, looking after animals, exploring the countryside, and everything in between. It helps children reconnect with nature, building their self-confidence and improving their well-being in the process.
Tyler Grange has been working with Farms for City Children for several years. Charlie Woods, our administrator, has been particularly active with a charity since the pandemic, visiting Wick Court in Gloucestershire monthly.
Charlie and the other TG volunteers have had plenty of work to do. The gardens were overgrown and damaged due to the farm being closed over multiple lockdowns, so the team has done a lot of digging and weeding! They’ve also helped with cleaning the Grade II listed manor house that has needed quite a bit of TLC.
In truth, nothing is off-limits. TG volunteers do whatever the charity needs to make sure the farms are thriving. FFCC gives back tenfold, as Charlie explains: “We’re treated like family. They look after us so well, providing home-cooked food to keep us fed while we’re hard at work.”
“Also, it’s such a nice environment to spend time in,” Charlie continues. “We’re in the middle of the countryside surrounded by exceptionally cute animals. Only recently did we see a lamb being born. I’ll never forget it!”
Working on the farm also brings Charlie and the other volunteers a lot of fulfilment. “I always leave feeling proud of myself, like I’ve achieved something really important. It’s just nice to give back and help where I can. I want to keep visiting the farm and helping out, and I’m keen to get as many people involved as possible.”
In May this year, four people (three Tribe members and Nathan, who works as a TG partner) drove two vans packed with supplies to Poland. Their goal was to deliver essentials to refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The first trip was a huge success — they received phenomenal support before and during the visit.
Since then, there have been three trips. For the latter two, Nathan and Becky have taken the van into Ukraine itself. This was because, by the second trip, aid was being stockpiled in Poland. Not many refugees are coming from Ukraine anymore, so the refugee centres have mostly closed and the stockpile is being reabsorbed into the Polish economy.
During their third trip, they visited three orphanages in the south of Lviv. “One of them was a new site with displaced orphans,” says Becky. “They had 30 kids from Mariupol with another 55 coming the week we were arriving. It was easy to tell which of the children had been orphaned during the war. Heartbreaking doesn’t cover it.”
They delivered supplies to war-torn Kiev and Bucha during the fourth trip. Neither Becky nor Nathan will forget the things they saw there – putting the devastation into words is impossible.
But among such unspeakable horrors, there was beauty too. “Ukraine has amazing wildlife,” says Becky. “They have Marsh Harriers like we have buzzards! And the people are absolutely phenomenal. The hospitality we received was second-to-none, which just showed how much it meant to them: that we were there to help.”
The first van, which travelled to Poland, was packed with supplies thanks to many generous donations. For the second trip, it took a bit more time to fill the van, and fewer people donated funds.
Filling the van a third time was a much bigger challenge — it took a month and the team didn’t raise any money.
The only reason the fourth trip went ahead was that a plea for donations was spotted by a local councillor, who immediately took action to raise funds.
The heartless war in Ukraine isn’t over. And many Ukrainians are relying on people like Becky and Nathan to help, as Becky describes: “every trip, we see fewer and fewer convoys travelling through Ukraine to deliver supplies.”
The pair are determined to complete another trip. “We’ll only stop when the money and supplies completely run out,” Becky says.
If you’re able to donate supplies, please get in touch with Becky. The things that would be most helpful are:
Long-life or instant food:
Medical supplies
Thermal Layers
You can also donate money.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the trips so far. It can’t be understated how much your help has impacted lives in Ukraine.
The fact that you’re taking an interest in our charity work means the world!
Sharing how we’re giving back is satisfying, but it also acts as a reminder that we can always do more.
What has your team been up to recently? We’d love to hear about your charitable antics, whatever shape or form they’ve taken! Inspire us with all the ways you’ve been giving back by reaching out on Instagram or Twitter.