In May ’24 we held two group visioning meetings to discuss the future of Meadow Orchard and establish our core values, Our visioning meeting helps to establish an action plan as to how to best nurture nature and accommodate and facilitate our key charitable purposes.

The summary report from the meeting is below or can be downloaded as a pdf using the link below:

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Visioning Workshop Summary Report 2024

1. Visioning Workshop Summary Report 2024
   1. Introduction
   2. Values
      1. Nature stewardship:
      2. Care for people:
      3. Service to the community:
      4. Learning and growth:
   3. Stakeholders
   4. Objectives
      1. Habitat enhancement:
      2. Financial sustainability:
      3. Volunteer care and engagement:
      4. Mutual interest group engagement:
      5. Connecting beyond our site:
   5. Goals
      1. Habitat Enhancement Goals:
      2. Financial Sustainability Goals:
      3. Volunteer Care and Engagement Goals:
      4. Mutual Interest Group Engagement Goals:
      5. Connect Beyond Our Site Goals:
   6. Vision Statement
   7. Conclusion

Introduction

The Meadow Orchard Project conducted a visioning workshop over two sessions in May 2024, achieving a 67% participation rate from its membership. The aim was to gather collective input to explore common themes and seek alignment on key components of our vision, such as desired objectives, impacts, and key priorities and turn these into actionable steps to turn our vision into reality. 

This report does not aim to provide the full scope of the discussion and the richness of views, beliefs, strategies and desires expressed through this process. On the contrary it aims to narrow the breadth of the discussion down into an easily digestible summary for our community. The outcome summary for our visioning is as follows.

Values

Values are the fundamental beliefs that guide an organisation’s actions and decisions. They serve as the moral compass, ensuring that every initiative aligns with the overarching mission and principles of the organisation. In the context of the Meadow Orchard Project, clearly defined values help foster a cohesive and authentic culture, inspiring members and guiding the project towards its long-term vision.

Participants were asked to pinpoint the fundamental beliefs that you feel should underpin MOP’s mission and operations. This revealed several values considered key for the meadow orchard project. Many of these values overlapped in meaning and scope, and were grouped and organised into value-clusters as follows:

Nature stewardship:

This value-cluster centred around valuing the natural world, respecting its inherent wisdom and acting as its stewards. These values saw the connection with nature and our work to learn, protect and restore biodiversity as central. The nature of our site was an aspect of all the value-clusters, as the main resource available to us to operate and realise the other values.

Care for people:

This value-cluster highlighted the healing power of a community and how we would like the Meadow Orchard Project to be a source of support for members, volunteers and community visitors. It focused on a need for safety, as the foundation for wellbeing, and trust as the foundation of our collaborations. The desire for a diverse and inclusive community was strong, providing a safer space for minorities and those more vulnerable through other circumstances, emphasising the link between personal and communal healing

Service to the community:

This value-cluster spoke to how we would like the Meadow Orchard Project to be of service to our community members, the local community of residents, the environment and its wildlife. The ways of service for people discussed highlighted a delicate balance between care for our green space and providing others with access to it. The importance being that we provide as much benefit as we can within that balance and also focus on ways to be useful other than green space access.

Learning and growth:

This value-cluster highlighted our organisation’s permaculture foundations and a desire to showcase a happier, more sustainable way of living. Enabling and facilitating personal growth was an important theme. As was showcasing permaculture practices, up-skilling and teaching workshops. 

Stakeholders

Stakeholders are the individuals or groups that have an interest in or are affected by the project’s activities. Identifying key stakeholders is crucial for effective engagement and collaboration, ensuring that the project meets the needs and expectations of those invested in its success. Understanding stakeholders helps prioritise initiatives and fosters strong relationships that support the project’s objectives.

Participants were asked to identify the most important stakeholders that they felt is, or should be, at the centre of our attention at the Meadow Orchard Project. The identified top stakeholders were as follows:

• Members, volunteers and visitors
• Local residents and community
• Children and young people
• Mutual interest groups (e.g., forest school)
• NHS Hornsey Central Health Centre (patient groups, employees)
• NHS Property Services

Objectives

Objectives are specific, measurable goals that the organisation aims to achieve to realise its vision. They provide a clear direction and serve as benchmarks for success, ensuring that all efforts are aligned and effective. For the Meadow Orchard Project, well-defined objectives help translate the vision into actionable steps, driving progress and impact in key areas.

Participants were asked to define the specific, achievable aims that they felt contribute the most to the realisation of MOP’s overarching vision. The key objectives identified are as follows:

Habitat enhancement:

Establish a balance between site use and environmental needs, increasing the diversity of habitats on the site to maximise biodiversity and resilience of its ecology in a changing environment. 

Financial sustainability:

Establish a financial model that is focused on needs and not growth, and allows us to fulfil our responsibilities, aims and goals. 

Volunteer care and engagement:

Establish a support system for volunteers that focuses on inclusivity, safety, community and personal growth, to enhance overall wellbeing. 

Mutual interest group engagement:

Leverage the skills and experience of outside groups and local small businesses whose mission aligns with our own, and collaborate to increase our offering for arts, skills, nature experiences, green prescribing and other positive impacts.

Connecting beyond our site:

Improve and create connections with other groups and communities working around sustainable living, permaculture and re-wilding efforts, especially through shared and measurable benefits like citizen science projects, ecology surveys and other collaborative efforts.

Goals

Setting clear goals ensures focused efforts and measurable progress, driving the organisation towards its long-term vision. Participants were asked to examine the current landscape of MOP’s values, stakeholders, objectives and impacts, and narrow down its key priorities. The goals highlighted as being of high priority for the next period were:

Habitat Enhancement Goals:

1. Improve the site’s ecological sustainability by enhancing habitats to support a broader range of flora and fauna. Develop and maintain a mosaic of interconnected habitats to support diverse wildlife. 
2. Create rehabilitation initiatives for specific species, like the cinnabar moth, by creating suitable habitats, such as planting ragwort, installing bat boxes, creating hedgehog habitats, and establishing wildlife corridors.
3. Balance wildlife and biodiversity with human use. Consider solutions like the implementation of area access control and limiting specific areas to providing supervised educational opportunities, or closing the site for certain periods to allow for undisturbed habitat development.

Financial Sustainability Goals:

1. Diversify income sources by generating income through funding from external organisations, but mainly by setting up a system to accept donations from visitors and the community, at organised workshops and events (such as pizza making and chutney sales), site rentals, and targeted fundraising efforts.
2. Develop a business plan outlining financial needs, a timeline of actions, and a working document of needs and costs. Include forecasts for the next year and plans for unforeseen expenses.
3. Reach a stage where we are able to compensate site leaders to ensure their continued engagement and support.

Volunteer Care and Engagement Goals:

1. Develop a site leading rota and implement a system for ensuring adequate leadership coverage during Saturday volunteering. Pair experienced site leaders with beginners to foster mentorship.
2. Develop and publish a detailed schedule of activities at MOP for the next six months, including pruning, herb cultivation, scything, foraging, jam making, and various celebrations.
3. Create a system that supports volunteers of all engagement levels, protecting their wellbeing and addressing any unwanted behaviours. Ensure the availability of important contacts, and establish an orientation program for new volunteers that includes skill training opportunities to incentivise participation.
4. Enhance the system for communicating tasks to volunteers, ensuring clarity and efficiency. Encourage the development of specific teams for areas like gardening, cob oven management, site care, with clear leadership and responsibilities.

Mutual Interest Group Engagement Goals:

1. Carry out a needs analysis to identify how MOP can best serve the community, particularly in terms of what type of mutual  interest groups we should advertise to and make space for at MOP.
2. Research what legally needs to be done to facilitate outside groups and small businesses running their activities and meetings at MOP (e.g. meditation, yoga, and environmental group meetings), and inviting our community to participate in these health and wellbeing activities to promote community engagement.

Connect Beyond Our Site Goals:

1. Organise regular bio-surveys (e.g., “bio-blitz survey”) to monitor and document biodiversity on the site.
2. Link with local schools to participate in wildlife surveys and encourage students to study nature through school visits and habitat surveys.
3. Connect with other community garden projects to exchange strategies, techniques, and skills, and explore the possibility of twinning with another community garden globally.

Vision Statement

Empowering our community through sustainable practices, education and well-being. The Meadow Orchard Project envisions a future where every individual, regardless of age or circumstance, thrives in a harmonious environment. Rooted in principles of education, health, environmental stewardship, and community building, we aspire to cultivate a resilient and interconnected community garden that nourishes both the land and the people. Together we sow the seeds of knowledge, growth, and inclusivity, fostering a legacy of well-being, environmental consciousness, and shared prosperity for generations to come.

In the immediate future, the Meadow Orchard Project will establish a thriving community garden that embodies our core values of nature stewardship, community care, service, and learning. We aim to enhance habitat diversity, secure financial sustainability through diverse income sources, and create a supportive environment for volunteers. By fostering outside collaborations we will provide meaningful benefits to our community and build strong connections with other sustainable living groups. Our goal is to lay a strong foundation for long-term impact, ensuring our site serves as a safer space for environmental consciousness and shared well being.

Conclusion

With a big thanks to everyone who participated, the visioning workshop and process provided an actionable roadmap for the Meadow Orchard Project. By focusing on the outlined values, objectives, and goals, the project is well-positioned to make a significant positive impact on the community and the site environment. Continued engagement and commitment from all of us will remain crucial in turning our vision into reality.