Clients accessing support services at The Arc will receive additional help with various community projects, such as gardening, beekeeping, and creating a café space.
Equans, through their community fund, has supported The Arc for the last two years and plans to further invest in and support projects for clients.
The Arc is a community hub in Manchester providing support to people within the community and the criminal justice system. Through The Arc, members of the community can access various mental health and addiction recovery services to help them build a positive future for themselves.
Last year, Equans provided funding for laptops and helped clients access a digital skills course. Equans have now awarded The Arc, £1125 for materials for the wellbeing garden and supported The Arc’s beekeeping project, Arc Bees, a project that brings staff, volunteers, and clients together.
During a recent visit to The Arc, Equans was impressed by the beehive and the work done by Terry Mostyn in maintaining the garden. Like many others at The Arc, Terry started as a client and is now a volunteer, dedicating his time and passion to developing the well-being garden area.
Equans plans to invest further in The ARC as part of their social value contributions to North Manchester. This includes refurbishing the kitchen to make it usable as a café space for clients.
Heath Dean, a Support Worker at The ARC, said, “After a difficult bee season last year, we entered this year with just one active hive and an old Queen Bee. With funding from Equans, we can start next year’s bee season with 2 hives and the capacity to trap swarms.
Terry’s hard work and vision have been instrumental in the development of the garden, and further support from Equans will allow him to upgrade the garden and build a covered area for various projects.
The Garden and the Bees have become very popular among visitors to The Arc, providing a hands-on and enjoyable experience for clients.”
