BaptistCare Clinton Place in Goulburn is now home to a vibrant greenhouse set to foster community connection and shared green-thumb enthusiasm thanks to the Goulburn Baptist Church.
The idea sprouted from the seeds of collaboration with the local Goulburn Baptist Church successfully securing a Connect Grant from the Association of Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT.
As the world emerged post-pandemic in early 2022, there was a lot of searching across NSW and ACT communities for ways to reinvigorate social connection and promote healthy living, something at the heart of the village lifestyle that BaptistCare NSW, ACT and WA creates.
The Connect Grant, which funds projects that encourage these connections between local Baptist Churches and BaptistCare housing sites, was proposed as something that could work in Goulburn. Everyone jumped at a chance to secure the funds and work on a joint project.
A common thread of a love for gardening and green spaces linking members of the Goulburn Baptist Church and Clinton Place community together led to the idea of a greenhouse being established.
A place to raise seedlings for the communal garden, but also allowing tenants at Clinton Place to tackle personal gardening projects.
Like all great ideas, a team of people led by Chaplain Kevin Woodward made it happen, especially through the early planning and grant application stage.
The combined planning team from BaptistCare Clinton Place and the Goulburn Baptist Church selected the perfect spot, researched greenhouses down to the smallest detail to ensure the right one was selected, consulted with gardening enthusiasts from Clinton Place and the Church community to ensure no detail was forgotten and worked with the Church leadership to apply for the grant.
The excitement rippled through Clinton Place as construction milestones were achieved, from the confirmation of the Grant in February to the greenhouse’s completion in late August.
The greenhouse sits alongside other new amenities at Clinton Place, including an outdoor covered seating area adjacent to the hall and new barbecue facilities – both used when the Goulburn Baptist Church hosted a barbecue lunch to officially commission the greenhouse in September.
But what’s a greenhouse without plants?
The last of the grant money was used to pick up seedlings, trays, pots, gardening tools and soil.
From the start of the idea to getting plants in pots, the partnership and collaboration between BaptistCare Clinton Place and the Goulburn Baptist Church has been central to the success of this project.
We cannot wait to see how the two communities can continue coming together in this beautiful space now and into the future.
