We are delighted that our JoyRiders project has secured a London Cycling Grant for three years.
Women join together to gain confidence cycling and enjoy the local area with Hornbeam JoyRiders.
This will enable us to continue delivering led rides for novice cyclists, organise group training and train up a new generation of Ride Leaders so that we can build a network of groups organising their own led rides in partnership with local schools and organisations.
Can you be a Ride Leader?
If you are a competent, experienced cyclist and would like to volunteer to lead rides, please email hornbeamjoyriders@gmail.com for more information or message us through Facebook.
Hornbeam JoyRiders out and about
We particularly need female cyclists available to lead or support rides on weekdays, and both male and female cyclists to help lead family rides in school holidays.
We can also provide Ride Leadership training in partnership with Cycle Confident and Waltham Forest (limited places available).
We have launched a Spacehive crowdfunding campaign for the Hornbeam Centre and Hornbeam Nights and would love your help!
We want to continue creating our Hornbeam Nights evening workshops, supper clubs and music events to support our amazing community but need to update our equipment that has, well…. seen better days!
As Charlie who organises our events says: “We want to provide an ethical and sustainable space for creatives, where aspiring musicians, DJs, workshop facilitators, small businesses and chefs, can walk into and feel held and supported not only by just but by decent gear and equipment.
“If you can give a little today into our pot, we will keep on giving in the way the Hornbeam has been doing in many ways for the past 30 years….”
A VERY SPECIAL, COMMUNITY HUB
The Hornbeam is a community anchor, providing space to groups, support and incubation of new ideas, and a point of entry for people wanting to take action. We support people lacking in confidence and skills to set up new social enterprises and community initiatives.
For example the cafe and kitchen space is currently being used to support a supper club run by refugees, offer free meals made from surplus food, and as a pop-up cafe enabling a new catering enterprise run by women on very low incomes to trial things out before taking on their own space.
Have a look at our events to see the various wonderful things happening all the time!
CAN YOU HELP?
So we’d love it if you could help us keep building our community with our latest community business idea! Every successful Hornbeam Night raises money for and builds our community further.
But in order to continue our work we need some help to bring ourselves up-to-date with some better technology to help the events we organise inspire and enthuse.
And we hope to see you at the Hornbeam sometime very soon!
Thank you!
We also need social media volunteers to spread the word or volunteers to seek support from local businesses! If you can help please contact Charlie at hornbeamnights@gmail.com
Apple Day is one of Walthamstow’s regular highlights of the year so join us again for another apple-y adventure held in the gorgeous gardens of Vestry House Museum and organised by The Hornbeam Centre and Cafe with partners OrganicLea and Artillery and involving lots of amazing local community organisations.
If you have apples in a tree in your garden please get in touch with Organiclea who can come and pick them for you and make them into apple juice on the day!
Buy a beautiful apple tree
Lots of Arts and Crafts for all the family to get involved in too, and music from the delectable Auntie Maureen, Walthamstow’s finest vintage DJ.
Apple Day wouldn’t be Apple Day without E17 DJ Auntie MaureenAll sorts of Apple Day crafts
Come and taste and buy apples, apple trees, apple juice, cider and cake!
Do apple bobbing, use the vintage apple press to make juice, and try your luck in the longest peel competition.
Make your own apple juice!Apples make cider…
We need lots of volunteers to help out on the day and it’s a wonderful event to be involved in! Contact us here.
We have so much going on that the support of volunteers is vital to helping us run all the projects that we do.
If you have time or skills you’d like to share or just time and energy and would like to learn some skills, please get in touch!
Volunteer press Liaison Do you have experience or would like to gain it talking to the local and national press and providing them with what they need to create great stories about the amazing work we do? We have so much going on that’s worth letting the media know about we’d love some help. Tell us why you think you’d be good at this here.
Volunteer Photo Editor
Are you familiar with online photography storage? Could you help us create a system to store all our amazing photos in one place and for staff to have easy access to them? If this is your world we’d love to hear from you. Contact Sue at info@hornbeam.org.uk More info on the role
Walthamstow Apple Day volunteers
Save the date: 14 October is Apple Day! The Hornbeam and the Learning Lodge will have a stall to tell people about our work and if you are a fan of the Hornbeam and love chatting to people, we’d love to have you join us. Tell us about yourself here.
Join our Social Media Champions Could you help us get the word out about the amazing work we do around the borough on social media? Whether your preferred ‘platform’ is Facebook, Twitter or Instagram we’d love to hear from you. We’d like to recruit a few Social Media Champs so we can share the sharing love. Do spread the word. Message Sue at the Hornbeam on Facebook or Twitter if you’re up for it!
Community Mondays will not be running during August so that our fantastic crew of volunteers and facilitators can have a well-earned break.
Thanks Kim – Briliant Volunteer Support every community Monday!
There are summer activities both at the Hornbeam, the Lodge and beyond as part of the Food for London project and with other partners. Our partner Kids Kitchen’s family timetable is here and you can see all events on our listings pages.
There will also be some Free Food stalls – Check our Facebook page for up to date details. We have plenty of surplus food to redistribute – do you have a community group that could use some food? Get in touch!
Community Mondays will be back in September with more volunteering opportunities and food rescue! Our programme for September 2017 looks like this (full details will appear on the events listing, and follow us on Facebook for updates
Monday 4th and Monday 18th – People’s Kitchen:
The first and third Community Monday of every month is People’s Kitchen – delicious lunch made from food that would have been wasted. Volunteer from 10am or just come to eat at 1pm – Pay-what-you-feel!
Monday 11th – Makeover Monday:
Join us from 10am and help make the hornbeam ship-shape while learning some basic DIY skills. Makeover Mondays are our opportunity to give the building a much needed lick of paint, spruce up of the plants and tackle general maintenance jobs, such as putting up shelving. Plus volunteer lunch from rescued food!
Monday 25th – Jamming:
Join us from 10am and learn how to make jam from foraged and rescued fruit. Plus volunteer lunch for all jam-makers.
Volunteers are guided through activities by experienced facilitators and have the opportunity to gain AQA accreditation in activities such as cooking, painting/decorating etc.
To get involved, join us at the Hornbeam on Mondays from 10am or complete the short volunteer online form.
Have you done something with your home or workplace that makes it energy efficient or eco in some way?
You might have gone the whole hog with solar panels, or have nifty gadgets that help you save energy. Have you upcycled lots of things or insulated your house to lower your energy bills? Perhaps you’ve got a wonderful garden that uses permaculture principles or is landscaped using reclaimed items?
Whatever you’ve done – we’d love to hear from you asap. The Hornbeam has run Waltham Forest’s Green Open Homes every year now and this is the fourth year and it’s always really popular. Like Open House or the E17 Art Trail – people kindly open their doors to the public and share their top tips of low cost and eco living.
If you would like to open your home/workplace on the weekend of 16/17 September 2017 please get in touch.
Or if you’ve got an idea for a talk, demo or activity – we’d also love to hear from you!
We also need VOLUNTEERS to help out on events chatting to the public, social media and proof reading. If you’re able to help please fill in our volunteering form giving your availability, interest and skills.
John and family in the home they built themselves…with a bit of help.Isabel and Andy’s sedum roof looks after the bees as well as being a beautiful top layer to a cedar-clad extension.A family affair – gutting the kitchen that was rotten with condensation then rebuilding.Claire and Dan next to their invisible rainwater harvesting system.Charlie’s house has been furnished almost exclusively from Sell or Swap and charity shops – and been upcycled by Charlie using her skills from her upcycling business Nostalji Home Designs.
Thurs 11 May, GROWING THE LOCAL DREAM: a talk on making food sovereignty a reality and how to start growing your own.
We have three guests speakers who are involved in growing with Hornbeam partner and local community growing project Organiclea.
SPEAKERS: Melanie Strickland – OrganicLea: What is Food sovereignty?
Food sovereignty allows communities control over the way food is produced, traded and consumed. The food sovereignty movement is a global alliance of farmers, growers, consumers and activists.
Mel is the Community Food Movement Builder at Organiclea
Terry Bennett – OrganicLea: How to bring small growers into the political mainstream.
Terry will be referencing the Land Worker’s alliance post brexit agricultural policy.
– A new growth model for a new generation.
– Grow the dream and nurture your brain.
Jon Rackham – Gardens for all
Do it yourself. How to bring your growing home.
FREE although donations to Hornbeam and Organiclea’s community work are gratefully received.
FOOD AVAILABLE: hot vegan curry and rice bowl for £6.
DRINKS: choose from our fully stocked bar of local ales and ciders, bio-dynamic wines, locally made soft drinks and vegan snacks.
FIND OUT ABOUT VOLUNTEERING: You can also find out about the work of Organiclea and the Hornbeam and volunteering opportunities at both
The first and third Community Monday of every month is People’s Kitchen – making and eating a delicious lunch made from food that would have been wasted.
Food is served 1pm, or come and help make the lunch and join us at 10am to prep the food.
Everyone welcome so come and share your lunch with others who live and work locally. Do tell your neighbour or colleagues.
NOTE: there will be no People’s Kitchen is on 1 Jan 2018.
People’s Kitchen volunteers preparing food
People’s Kitchen is part of Hornbeam’s Food for London project, which works with Waltham Forest Food Rescue and other anti-food waste organisations.
Waltham Forest Food Rescue are running pop-up ‘pay-what-you-feel’ food stalls around the borough to highlight the fact that food is often thrown away while it is still good enough to eat.
Free baby food that would have been wasted!
Best Before Stalls
Every Monday, 12:00 – 15:00 out the the Hornbeam (weather permitting)
Every Tuesday. 14:30 – 17:30 at Friday Hill Tenants Management Organisation offices, Chingford Hatch E4 6JT.
First Saturday of the Month, 11.00-15.00 at the Transition Leytonstone Market outside Matalan, Leytonstone High Road, E11 1HH.
NEW POP-UP: Every saturday in May at Walthamstow Town Square, near the library, 9.00-15.30
We welcome suggestions of new places for pop-up Food Rescue stalls and would love to hear from people who would like to volunteer. Contact Poppy
