STORY OF BROOKLODGE
Brooklodge Day Service aims to enhance each Service Users’ individuality by giving them the opportunity to be active, valued members of their community.
We provide an individual and holistic service to each person availing of the service. Each person is supported and valued within an environment, which promotes their overall autonomy, health and wellbeing.
One of the main objectives of Brooklodge day service is to provide a Social Enterprise for people with an intellectual disability. To give the opportunity for meaningful work, providing profit for purpose through the Brooklodge Co-operative.
Currently Brooklodge supports 15 people who are attending Brooklodge and running their own co-op.
If you would like to purchase anything from Brooklodge, (Plants, Flowers, Art or Garden furniture please email us on brooklodge@abilitywest.ie.
Sinead Anderson
Day Service Manager - Brooklodge
The Brooklodge Team
Is it A Co-op?
Yes a co-operative, where members run an organic garden centre, a part-time café, a refill station for eco-friendly cleaning and hygiene products and an upcycling and woodworking workshop.
Brooklodge provides a valuable service to the local community, who buy organic vegetables and Summer bedding plants from our stall, come to our coffee shop and buy furniture and other items from our workshop.
The co-op members receive payment of sales profits after expenses are paid. This is paid out based on the amount of days they attend Brooklodge.
In 2022 and 2023 the Galway Rural Development (SICAP Project) provided a grant of €2,500 annually to the Brooklodge co-op, to buy necessary equipment. This was hugely beneficial for the people we support. In 2024 we have been selected by the Burrenbeo trust through their hares Corner, heritage Apple Orchard grant to receive heritage apple trees to plant on the grounds in October.
Crops in Brooklodge
Feeding the Hens at Brooklodge
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
THealth and well-being Brooklodge promotes health and wellbeing through our Gi Gong (Tai Chi) classes which are attended by people we support and people from the local community.
Brooklodge attendees produce a Quarterly well-being Newsletter “ how does your garden grow” for the benefit of all who read it ( see attached most recent Newsletter)
Brooklodge co-op members support the local schools/ local railway hub in developing bio diversity in their gardens
We promote disability awareness and training in local communities, increase participation among disabled people in the local community and support pathways for people with disabilities in having a valued role in the community.
The people we support learn about the organic production of vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers from sowing to selling and all that gardening entails at their level of learning. They also learn about healthy eating, as they take part in cookery classes and are involved in developing healthy eating recipes. The service users and staff have developed a book of healthy recipes in service user-friendly format called “From Garden Plot to Cooking Pot”. They also taking part in Active me health programme, in the Winter months, provided by staff through the HSE resources “Active me”.
Jose Antonio
Weeding Crops
brooklodge garden centre
Brooklodge Garden Centre is a licenced organic nursery set up in 1993 as part of the EU Horizon project. The aim was to provide a place of work for five service users with intellectual disabilities at that time.
In 2014 a Garden Enterprise was set up where service users sold their produce to the people of the locality. In 2016 a portable garden stall was purchased and a weekly shop was set up at the local national school during term time. In return Brooklodge service users helped to set up an organic school garden in the school. In addition to this a stall was set up at the day service. The garden has three polytunnels, one glass house and a potting shed. Organic vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers are grown during the growing season, Jam and preserves are made on the premises. All items are available for purchase from the centre shop or at the local school stall.
The enterprise group became a co-op in 2021, when other ventures were set up in Brooklodge. Each member pays a share for the compost, organic seeds, packaging and seedlings and in turn the co-op group share in equal parts all the proceeds from the sale of the organic vegetables, herbs, Summer bedding plants, window boxes and hanging baskets.
This is a very successful co-op, in terms of profit for purpose and in terms of the enjoyment that co-op members get in the work and the real, valuable role that they hold within the community.
Window Boxes
An array of beautiful flowers in window boxes for sale at Brooklodge
Hanging Baskets in preparation for customers
UPCYCLING AND WOODWORKING WORKSHOP
The co-op set up a woodwork workshop in our big shed. Many of the people we support had expressed an interest in woodwork and craftwork. Co-op members currently produce anything from garden tables, benches and chairs to cabinets, bird houses etc. all bespoke. In addition, they produce cement work consisting of garden pots and ornaments, which are sold. The people we support take ownership in this project and get great pride out of making items for sale..
Mark making Benches
Some of the woodwork at Brooklodge
friday feeling cafe
In 2021 a coffee shop “ The Friday Feeling Café” was set up, as a pilot project. This is run one day a week in Brooklodge, selling teas/coffee/ hot chocolates, scones, homemade bakes such as porridge breads, seasonal apple cake and gluten free bakes. Homemade soup made from our seasonal garden vegetables is also served. This runs on a Friday morning. Our Co-op members work at food preparation, waiting tables and are taking part in HACCAP training in-house..
Eamon Serving Soup to a Customer
art in brooklodge
Showcased on the walls of our café are beautiful art creations produced by the people we support Many other art projects run throughout the year with our wonderful volunteer Artist Galit Costello. Art brings a lot of joy and creativity to our participants.
ANIMALS in brooklodge
Brooklodge is home to two donkeys, thirteen hens and two cats. People we support from Brooklodge and other centres have the opportunity to learn about the Caring Welfare practice for these animals. Training has been provided by the Animals Sanctuary in previous years in Brooklodge. In addition to this we ran an animal care and welfare ASDAN course. We will be planning an organic gardening course, where peer-to-peer training will be the form of teaching, with the support of a senior instructor, who is a qualified agriculturist.
We have made strong links & friendships within the local community, doing business with two local organic producers, working with pupils from two local national schools, Abbeyknockmoy community groups and Ballyglunin community groups.
Fred and Ed the new Donkeys!
music, the beating heart in brooklodge
Music, provided weekly by our GRETB teacher. The music lessons are going really well and at Christmas they combine their lámh class and music class to develop a Lámh choir and showcase their talent in the Headford Rd shopping centre and social media, which is very successful and also provides some fundraising opportunities.
To top this off in 2023 the Music class with the help of John Garvey, GRETB teacher wrote an amazing song which expresses the feelings of coming together after the first lock down during covid 2020. In late 2020 we closed in the open courtyard, to provide an outdoor type room so the people we support could return to Brooklodge if they chose. This was when our music sessions begun and have grown from strength to strength.
The Brooklodge original song, written and recorded by the people we support “Stronger Together“ describes with real feeling what Brooklodge is all about