Grow manager: ‘This is the best job I’ve ever had’

Through its vinery, workshop and cafe, the aptly-named charity provides occupational training for people with learning disabilities.

It might be known for its plants and produce, but at its heart the charity aims to grow confident, skilled and happy individuals, who feel better prepared to enter the workforce and integrate into the community.

Grow moved to a new £3.5m. headquarters in the Coutanchez in January 2024, before celebrating its 40th anniversary that summer. It was at this pivotal time that Mandy, who had worked in Health & Social Care for 14 years, joined as its learning disability lead.

‘Grow’s everything that I could ever want in one place,’ she said.

‘This is the best job I’ve ever had. I was a chef in a former life, so the cafe is something really dear to me. I’ve always grown my own vegetables, so that’s another thing that I feel strongly about and I’ve always been an advocate for reuse, recycle and real sustainable living at home. So this just makes perfect sense for me. My dad used to call me a Jack of all trades, master of none – I’ve had many former lives and I feel it’s all finally come together here.’

Mandy took over as general manager just over a year ago, when its CEO, Karen Blanchford returned with her family to Australia.

She said the new, up-scaled site has allowed the charity to offer a wider range of opportunities for its crew.

‘The old Grow was literally four greenhouses and a couple of sheds,’ she said. ‘It was horticulture, a little bit of woodwork and sold some plants. It’s completely different now. The board are phenomenal and were so forward-thinking – just complete dynamos in deciding that they were absolutely going to raise that money to redevelop. It’s now a multi-faceted business, with so many opportunities. It’s just gone from strength to strength.’

With 25 years’ experience as a learning disability nurse, Mandy said her favourite part of the job was watching the crew members flourish as individuals.

‘Everyone has their own unique skills, it’s just about finding them,’ she said.

‘If you had everybody wrapped in cotton wool they wouldn’t learn anything. So we really try to assess and manage risks, to allow as much freedom as possible to teach people all the things they can do – which they never thought they could. Even down to ironing their uniform.’

Mandy said a particular goal for a lot of crew members when they start is to master the cafe’s coffee machine. She said it intentionally operates a barista-style machine for crew to learn on and develop desirable hospitality skills.

‘Seeing those little changes in people – going from not being able to do something, to doing it perfectly a couple of weeks later – is what I most enjoy. Seeing them develop and find confidence.’

Mandy said it is a continuous balancing act – to reliably deliver the quality produce and service that Grow has become known for, while also maintaining an understanding and patient work environment that nurtures its crew, allows mistakes and encourages seeds of potential to blossom.

‘People used to come to us because it was a charity they wanted to support so they were always very understanding,’ she said.

‘But now, we want people to come because we offer really good quality at good value. Now that it’s so public-facing, the crew get real exposure, and the public do too. That interaction is really important to me.

‘When I was seven years old, I went to a day centre to go country dancing with my schoolmates. A young lady with Down syndrome came over to hug me and I was terrified. I had no idea – I’d never met anybody with Down syndrome before. That stayed with me. It planted a seed and, for years, I just wanted to understand more about people with learning difficulties – I hated being scared of her. So after I had my daughter, I decided to do my nurse training. I had been a trainee riding instructor before and had taught people with autism and seen how amazing that was. So, by the time I reached 30 I knew what I wanted to be – a nurse working with people with learning disabilities. And the rest is history.’

Mandy said while she was doing her training in the 80s, the newly established Grow Ltd was innovative in its concept.

‘In the UK, people with learning disabilities were still in long-stay hospitals, treated with no dignity,’ she said.

‘Here, they were already looking at doing some occupation – sheltered work in a greenhouse – so Grow was ahead of its time even then. Now, 40 years later, there is still nothing like it. I did a deep dive into ChatGPT and after feeding it all our information, I asked if there was anything else like it in the UK. It basically said “no” – Grow is unique.’

Mandy said as well as its crew members, she has seen the charity grow – very hard to avoid the pun – and said it has developed a significant reputation across the island.

‘Liberation Day was bonkers,’ she said.

‘We did the tea tent and were in the cavalcade and people were just shouting out to the team saying “Grow is amazing, well done, keep it up guys!” It was absolutely incredible. So now, as manager I feel very, very proud. Very privileged, but incredibly conscious to maintain its new-found public image. I do feel the pressure to make sure we do everything as well as we possibly can. To make sure we absolutely walk the walk and deliver on what we say.’

She said it has hand-picked staff members who are passionate about quality. It employs 13 people, who are each trained across departments, to ensure the charity runs like a family unit.

‘We’ve got several different areas now but what I don’t want is for people to be siloed. One of my biggest things is leading by example,’ she said.

‘I’ll go in the kitchen, the greenhouse, on reception – wherever I’m needed, I’ll be. It’s really important to instil that sense of teamwork, which we definitely have. I asked our horticulture manager Stuart Smale how he was feeling in his appraisal yesterday and he simply said, “I love my role” – that’s just everything. I always tell my daughter when she goes into work, make sure to find something you love, because its where you’ll spend most of your life.

‘And Grow is honestly the most amazing place, we have a real laugh here – every single day. It’s still hard work, but the rewards are just phenomenal and we have the freedom to be creative.’

The charity has recently implemented training programmes to fill the gaps that people may have when they first join its crew. Working with Guernsey Employment Trust, it has designed a competency framework to build individual pathways adapted to each of Grow’s departments.

It has a new orchard with raised beds and fruit trees and has welcomed 25 chickens to the team, who supply eggs for its cafe menu. The charity also sells its eggs, produce, flowers and plants, as well as unique, quality wooden arts and crafts, which are designed by the crew in its impressive workshop.

Its retail shop is expanding and moving to its potting shed, in order to properly showcase all the treasures and seasonal treats its team work hard to produce. The new shop is set to open in time for its Christmas Fair on 6 December.