Bootstrap in the Park
Developing skills, building confidence, changing lives
'Bootstrap in the Park' is a friendly and supportive day service for people with disabilities and health needs. The service provides opportunities to make friends, build confidence, learn new things and make a positive contribution to local life in Pennine Lancashire.
The service is themed around horticulture, parkland and garden care, rural art and live animal care, and is delivered in integrated settings in co-operation with a range of community groups, public sector and third sector partners.
Our community sites
Gatty Park, Accrington
The day service has sole use of an industrial-sized polytunnel at Gatty Park together with disabled toilet facilities. The site offers Arts and Crafts, Cook and Eat, Horticulture, Healthy Walks and Woodwork sessions.
Rhyddings Park, Oswaldtwistle
The day service maintains the Rhyddings Park animal sanctuary on behalf of the Friends of Rhyddings. We care for a collection of goats, turkeys, poultry, rabbits and peacocks. We are also partners with Hyndburn Council, Prospects and the Primary Care Trust on the management board which is steering the Lottery Fund bid to expand the site to incorporate a healthy living and community food growing project with a community orchard and growing plots, greenhouse, walled garden and training kitchen.
Meadoway Allotment, Accrington
Meadoway Allotment is a community based allotment. The Day Service works together with Hyndburn Council and Prospects to maintain the allotment facilities. The site offers a variety of horticultural based sessions. In recent years team members have produced a number of different vegetables, plants and shrubs that are taken home.
Oakhill Park, Accrington
The Day Service has sole use of an indoor facility at Oakhill Park Accrington.It offers Arts and Crafts, Cook and Eat, Computer, Woodwork and Open College studies sessions. The site is also used for monthly meetings for staff and team members to discuss ideas and suggestions to enhance the service. A number of Christmas parties and award ceremonies have taken place in the past and many more are planned.
Up-to-date news
The team members and staff produce a newsletter on a seasonal basis; please click here for more details.
Community development
We work closely with Hyndburn Council to create opportunities for our day service users and staff to make a positive contribution to range of regeneration, refurbishment and community development projects. We are also working closely with Hollins Technology College, local charitable and voluntary organisations within the Hyndburn district.
Haworth Park, Accrington
We are working with Hyndburn Borough Council on the redevelopment at Haworth Park Art Gallery which in the long term will provide a new base for our day service, providing training and craft rooms, office space and additional scope for our horticulture projects.
Our Individual Plans
Each of our service user has an Individual Plan which we have helped them to produce. It sets out what they like doing as part of their day service experience and what they want to achieve. We review the plans with them and their family oir carers on a regular basis.
Our objectives
Our day service has agreed a series of objectives we want to achieve. They are:
Opening hours
The service runs from 9.30am to 3.30 pm, Monday to Friday. It is open for 51 weeks of the year, closing for one week at Christmas.
Our staff team
Bootstrap in the Park is delivered by:
They are supported by a number of skilled and dedicated volunteers.
How to make a referral
In most cases, the costs of attending the day service are met through Social Services spot contract payments, or through the use of social care Direct Payments. We are happy to be contacted by family members, carers, Care Managers or other professional supporters. We can arrange for informal visits and one off taster sessions. For further information, contact Rachel Turner on (01254) 680367, (07800) 762224 or email info@bootstrap.org.uk
Accredited learning and training
Life Long Learning
Bootstrap in the Park promotes the benefits of life long learning. The service provides clients with the chance to undertake learning in horticulture, rural art and live animal care. This learning can be accredited through Bootstrap's license with the National Open College Network.
Skills for Life Learning
The day service can help service users to develop their literacy skills by embedding the learning within an age appropriate horticultural and live animal care context. Individual learning goals are identified and reviewed as part of each service user's individual learning plan.