Resonance

Newquay Community Orchard

Community Orchard Working With Disadvantaged Groups

NAME OF ORGANISATION: Newquay Community Orchard

LOCATION: Cornwall

YEAR FOUNDED: 2014

ABOUT: Urban Biodiversity CIC, trading as Newquay Orchard, uses the community orchard to work with a range of disadvantaged groups. The orchard provides community interactions, wellbeing activities, skills development and training using horticulture.

INVESTMENT PURPOSE: The investments provided working capital as the organisation took on substantial grant funding for a major capital redevelopment of the site.

INVESTMENT AMOUNT: £174,000

DATE OF INVESTMENT: Oct 2018, Aug 2019, Jul 2020

SOURCE OF INVESTMENT: Health & Wellbeing Challenge Fund (South West)

IMPACT: Education & Learning; Energy & the Environment

ABOUT: Urban Biodiversity manages award-winning ‘re-imagined urban greenspace’, Newquay Orchard, a community hub that is used to work with disadvantaged groups and young people seeking work experience. The community orchard is a space that provides mental health therapy and education to groups and individuals in the local community, while also facilitating rehabilitation, job creation and economic growth. Newquay Orchard offers volunteering and training roles including Growing Futures, a 2 year long learning programme for 16–24-year-olds. Growing Futures teaches valuable skills that help individuals to progress onto further employment, these skills include tool use and maintenance, woodwork, teamwork and CV building.

PURPOSE OF INVESTMENT: The purpose of the first investment from the Health and Wellbeing Challenge Fund was to act as working capital while the organisation developed its training and landscaping services. The investment was also used to develop its on-site woodworking space. The second investment helped Newquay Orchard to build Kowel Gwenen (beehive), its newest community building. Kowel Gwenen, made mostly from sustainable and reclaimed materials, is home to Canteen at the Orchard, The Food Hub and the Co-workspace. The space will be used to host events, meetings and performances, encouraging collaboration, creativity and a strong sense of community.

Luke Berkeley, Managing Director of Newquay Community Orchard: “The Orchard has always been about the creation of a collective that can deliver social, environmental and economic change to one of the poorest communities in the UK. The investment will enable us to fast track a few projects to allow us to achieve greater impact to those in need.”

Leila Sharland, Fund Manager at Resonance: “This was one of the more straightforward loans for the Fund and we were able to meet Newquay Orchard’s request for a fairly fast turn-around.  They applied in July and were approved with funds deployed in September.  They were on the ball with quick responses to our questions and had already built a strong financial model. […] The enterprise works hard to build connections with a number of organizations and so they are able to make sure their impact goes across the board in Cornwall. It is great to see a really proactive response to significant change in the local area.”

Read more about Newquay Community Orchard and other investments from the Health & Wellbeing Challenge Fund in its social impact report.

Resonance Limited is a company registered in England and Wales no. 04418625

Resonance Impact Investment Limited, a subsidiary of Resonance Limited, is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Firm number 588462.

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