Kent Community Foundation grant makers enjoyed time away from the office at an Ashford Forest School with community group Step-Out
Since 2012 Step-Out has been working with children and adults in the outdoors using the natural environment as a tool to inspire people. Kent Community Foundation spent two hours with them on 19 May as part of their programme to spend quality time with groups that they have funded.
At the Ashford Forest School the grant makers were split into two groups to collect kindling and wood before competing to build the best fire and then design and make a pot holder that would suspend a kettle over the flames.
After boiling water they collected Elderflowers and left their Chief Executive, to pick off the individual flower heads while the rest of the group collected stinging nettles and Cleavers. The Elderflowers were steeped with lemons and limes to make an Elderflower cordial and the nettles and Cleavers were ground together in a pestle and mortar to make a spring tonic.
Josephine McCartney, Chief Executive, Kent Community Foundation said, “Having spent so many months working on our own from home during the pandemic, and only meeting on Zoom we have been discussing how important it is to spend quality time with each other. The team has compiled a programme of activities for us to get together out of the office and find out more about some of the amazing groups that we have funded across Kent and Medway.”
Kent Community Foundation had been funding Step-Out since 2019 and they have received a total of £23,000 in grants.
To contact Kent Community Foundation about funding for charities and community groups call 01303 814500, email admin@kentcf.org.uk or visit www.kentcf.org.uk/funding
