The Little Bee Charitable Foundation is developing a unique pilot inclusive project, "Living gifts and tasty treats. Act and create a garden that inspires!" We will grow organic produce both on our own and on the grounds of two boarding schools, with the children and their teachers taking part.

What will we grow? Vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, courgettes, pumpkins; berries: raspberries, strawberries and wild strawberries; flowers: tulips, lilies of the valley, irises, chrysanthemums and much more. The project runs  from  March to  October 2025. The produce, both fresh and processed, will be given  to  lonely elderly people and to displaced people now living in our city.

WHY THE PROJECT MATTERS - the socialisation of children with special needs: with  autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, developmental delay, cerebral palsy. Such a project teaches children and teenagers to value nature, develops general work skills and everyday social skills, and prepares them to carry out on their own various practical tasks connected with growing flowers, vegetables and berries; it instils a love of the land and has a good effect on physical and mental health.                                                             
The children learn to work together, which develops their communication skills, and joint work creates conditions for trust and support within the group. Outdoor lessons include practical work: planting, caring for the plants, harvesting, all of which build lasting skills needed for independent life. 
Working with plants has a therapeutic effect, helps to reduce anxiety and to strengthen self-confidence. Being able to see the result of their own work (the harvest they grew, the flowering beds) motivates the children and gives them a sense of fulfilment. The skills they gain may become a basis for further professional development, for example in agriculture, floristry or ecology. 

Financial support for the project: buying seeds and seedlings, grow lights for raising seedlings, containers for germinating seeds and seedlings: boxes, trays, cups, pots; potting soil, fertilisers, agricultural fleece;  tools: spades, rakes, watering cans, gloves.

We plan to run the project as a pilot at two boarding schools. And in a year it will be able to run at other schools as well. We are sure the project will be a long-term one!