Walton Lea Partnership celebrates its 2014 Successes

WARRINGTON-based charity, The Walton Lea Partnership, is looking back on what has been its most successful year ever.
The purpose of the success is to provide maximum support to the beneficiaries, and to reinvest funds back into the charity for them.
This year the charity has appointed nine new staff, won four awards and continued to work with more beneficiaries than ever before. Its two sites, the Walton Lea Walled Garden in Higher Walton and the Long Lane Garden Centre in Orford, have attracted hundreds of visitors a month, and the beneficiaries and staff at the sites have aided tens of community projects.
During 2014, the charity supported 65 beneficiaries across the two locations, all of whom enjoyed the creative support and learning provided by the team at The Walton Lea Partnership which also expanded.
The hard work of the charity has been recognised with national accolades; The Walton Lea Partnership won Green Flag Awards for both of the sites. Its ‘Recycled Cycles’ project won a Green Flag Special Award for Innovation and the upcycled furniture project – ‘Take A Seat’ – won a special commendation. A silver award was also won at the RHS Tatton Show for the garden planted by the charity’s horticulturalists and designed by Alan Nugent of Live Wire’s Orford Park.
The Walton Lea Partnership amplified efforts to help the wider community in 2014 and gave back to the people of Warrington. The charity also continued its monthly farmers’ markets, selling seasonal fresh produce and plants, furniture and quality hand crafted woodwork produced by combined teams of beneficiaries, support workers and volunteers.
With its successes of 2014 in mind, The Walton Lea Partnership plans to accelerate the momentum of the past 12 months into the New Year.
From 2015, the charity aims to support up to 100 beneficiaries, widening its programmes to meet ever more diverse needs. In line with the growing number of beneficiaries, employment opportunities for support workers will increase in Warrington, allowing the charity to increase its community-based projects.
Phil Marshall, trustee at The Walton Lea Partnership, comments: “It has been a challenging year in a time of restricted funding for all charities. Our strategic plan has been written in anticipation of sharp competition for public funds, but with the commitment of the board, workforce, beneficiaries, carers and volunteers from the local community and businesses we will deliver a greater than ever community impact for Warrington.
“We now need to ensure the future of the charity; no one can simply rely on grants and public funding. We need to become ever more self-sustaining. Improved finances and stronger infrastructures will mean an ever greater reinvestment of earned and donated funds into the charity. This will, in turn, guarantee the charity can continue to give quality of life, learning and development to the people who need us most in the Warrington community.
“During 2014, the focus was on achieving greater sustainability, developing the social enterprise activities of the charity and enhancing our buildings to provide a better environment for a wider and improved service. It’s been a quantum shift for the charity over the last 18 months, but this transformation set a solid foundation for our work. Now we can move into 2015 with a strong workforce and volunteers who are totally committed to making our 2015 – 20 strategic plan a reality.
“The board wants to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the charity through thick and thin, and Warrington Borough Council for its partnership. Our staff and volunteers have gone above and beyond to make sure the charity survived a tough few years and visitors donated money and goods for us to upcycle and sell, as well as bought items from our enterprises. The charity is doing great work with the community and long may it continue.”