VOLUNTEERING heroes were celebrated at a special awards ceremony recognising the excellent work carried out across the city.

About 150 people filled the Freedom Centre in Preston Road, east Hull, for the annual Neighbourhood Network Awards.

The big winner on the night was the Green Prosperity Project, which scooped the Citywide Group Of The Year award.

The volunteers have fitted more than 400 energy monitors into residents’ homes and offered a range of energy savings tips and advice on how to save money on fuel bills.
The project also won the Park Area Award after seeing off competition from Acasta Way, Inspire Communities – Greatfield Project, Eleanor Court and the Marfleet Allotment Society.

Jan Boyd of the Green Prosperity Project was overwhelmed upon hearing the group had won.

She said: “We would like to thank all the volunteers who have helped over the years.

“They are remarkable people who just want to make Hull a better, greener place.”

Another big winner on the night was Margaret Cranwell who was awarded Community Champion for involvement with her church and allotment.

Collecting her award, Mrs Cranwell said: “I am shocked to be up here. I thought all I did was make tea.
“On a serious note, I would like to thank all the volunteers who I work with to make people’s lives just that little bit better.”

Other winners on the evening included Kingston Wesley Methodist Church, Rainbow Community Groups, Bransholme Buddies, Hull Street Angels Trinity, Friends of Pickering Park and the YMCA Humber Turning Point Project.

Louise Wilkinson, manager at Neighbourhood Network, said: “It was an absolutely brilliant evening and I am delighted so many people turned up.

“The Neighbourhood Network charity has continued to grow considerably over the past year and aims to reduce crime, develop a good community and create a safer environment to live in, where people are neighbourly and support one another.”

From the Hull Daily Mail

EMS scooped not only the award for Best Hull Neighbourhood Network Group of the Year in the Park area one of seven best of awards handing out on the night. They also won the city-wide one.

Jan Boyd, Chief Executive of EMS Ltd said; “We are thrilled to pick up two awards on the night both were totally unexpected but very welcome.”

She went on to say; “The Big Lottery funded Green Prosperity Project is very much a team effort including are partners Probe (Hull) Ltd and PRNDC as well as our volunteers who have so far donated over 4,000 hours of their time. To the residents we are working with to save themselves money via energy efficiency advice or by growing in their back gardens. I was happy to except the awards on their behalf.”

EMS Ltd is a registered charity formed in 2009 to work with residents to alleviate food and fuel poverty.

EMS Ltd is an incorporated charity that has been operational since August 2009. We are based in east Hull but cover; Hull, East Yorkshire, North and North East Lincolnshire.

We work with residents, community groups and local businesses to alleviate food and fuel poverty.

We need people who can help us achieve our mission and ensure the organisation is effectively managed. You would need to be able to make a commitment to the Charity and devote the necessary (meetings are held bi-monthly) time as well as have strategic vision, independent judgement, an ability to think creatively and a willingness to speak your mind. Ideally, the new trustees will also have skills and experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Accounting and Finance
• Business/Charity Law
• Human Resources
• The Private Sector

We are particularly keen to achieve a more diverse board of trustees, and we welcome applications from all sections of the community

To find out more about the charity see our website www.emsyorkshire.co.uk

The closing date for enquiries is 11 September 2015.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Jan Boyd on 01482 709810 or jan@emsyorkshire.co.uk

HULL’S first city centre allotment is taking shape on the roof of a busy shopping centre.

Green-fingered volunteers are helping to create a rooftop allotment at Prospect Shopping Centre in Brook Street.

The community-led project will be run in partnership with Environment and Management Solutions Ltd which is based on Preston Road.

When complete, the allotment will boast more than ten plots of newly planted seeds and crops, which the volunteers will be able to tend to and, once harvested, they will be able to take it home and eat it.

Jan Boyd, chief executive at EMS, said: “We are delighted to work with Prospect Shopping Centre on its first community allotment.

“This is such a great initiative and it’s really positive to see so many local people already starting to volunteer to help the centre with its project.”

The environmental charity supports communities in east Hull to decrease their carbon emissions, helping them to save money on their household bills.

EMS currently runs regular workshops at East Hull Community Farm and is also backing plans to introduce a new city farm in Hull, which will be housed in old shipping containers.

They hope to welcome further volunteers who are interested in getting involved in the allotment project across the city.

“We are always looking to match keen gardeners, or those just interested in having a go, with local initiatives,” said Mrs Boyd.

“There are lots of other opportunities coming up for anyone looking to get their hands dirty.”

Prospect Shopping Centre has long been committed to pioneering environmental schemes and has won awards for its eco-friendly initiatives.

Lee Appleton, centre manager at Prospect Shopping Centre, said: “We all know the importance of creating a more sustainable environment.

“The creation of our rooftop allotment is a fantastic way of encouraging people to think about their food – from field to fork.

“Working in conjunction with local environmental charity, EMS, our aim is to encourage groups from our local communities to enjoy the benefits of planting and growing their own fruit and vegetables.

“The sense of pride and achievement when the results are in full flourish is another incentive to keep our volunteers actively involved in the coming months.”

ROOTED in Hull is another new environmental project that plans to make the city a greener place.

Organisers of the roaming city farm in the centre of Hull hope the site will be built in old shipping containers on derelict land.

The environmental project encourages residents in the city to grow their own food.
Developers also hope to build a shop and café, which will sell produce grown on the farm and educate people about the food they eat.

A map highlighting the work of EMS Ltd over the last 5 years is to go online this week.

The map will show all of the project that EMS Ltd manage was well as a range of other services such as community allotments and health and safety services.

Jan Boyd, EMS Ltd’s Chief Executive said.  “We decided that having a visual tool in the form of the map would give clients, residents and people visiting our web site an overview of what we do.”

Jan went on to explain; “All the areas of operation are coloured coded so you don’t have to look at every dot to find when you are looking for.  This also gives us the opportunity to see what impact EMS Ltd has on the Hull area.”

Hull Seed Swap
Saturday 7th March 2015, 11am-3pm
Freedom Centre
Preston Road
Hull
HU9 3QB

Building on the success of last year’s event, which attracted hundreds of green-fingered gardening enthusiasts and curious first-time growers, plans have now been finalised for Hull’s second annual ‘Huge Seed Swap’ event.
The aim is to encourage local individuals, families and community groups to get together to benefit from free growing talks and workshops, and to share seeds, information and resources for their mutual benefit.
Groups and individuals from across Hull are encouraged to come along to enjoy talks from an exciting line-up of horticultural experts from around the country, including Dr Eggington of Green Growers, who will be giving tips and advice on creating healthy soil and achieving success with organic growing, and Will Johnson of Canalside Community Food, who will be explaining how Community Supported Agriculture can work to empower local people and create better access to locally-produced food.
Hundreds of varieties of seeds will be available at the event to swap or to take away for a small donation, including many rare and unusual varieties that would otherwise be difficult to obtain.
There will also be an outdoor market where a diverse array of traders will be showcasing the very best local produce, which will be available to sample and purchase throughout the day.
Children and families will be able to enjoy fun crafts and seed art activities in the main hall, and at 2pm there will be a celebration event with performances from local dancers and musicians, and a special production from Wilberforce college dance students .
The event, including admittance to all talks and workshops is completely FREE, and so we are hopeful that gardeners from across the city and beyond will turn out to support the event.
Organiser Laura Heath said of the event, “Last year’s event was a huge success and we are hoping to make this year’s even bigger and better. It’s a great opportunity for local garderners and families who are learning to grow their own food to meet, learn and have fun together. We have some fantastic speakers lined up and the range of seeds that we’ll have for people to choose from on the day is amazing.”

The Third annual Greenshare Conference will take place on Wednesday 18 March at the Lawns, Cottingham.

This years theme is Sustainable Development.  The conference runs from 10:00 – 15:30 and includes a buffet lunch provided by local suppliers.

EMS Ltd are one of the founders of the network and are very proud of the success of the venture and how my people/organisations have signed up to be members.

Membership is free, you can sign up via the following link:  www.hullcc.gov.uk/greenshare

Follow us on Twitter for updates:  @HERgreenshare

  Greenshare Logo

EMS Ltd are very proud to announce that we are one of three finalists in the Energy Management Project of the Year category in the UK Community Energy Awards.

The project involves working with residents of Southcoates East and Longhill to reduce their carbon footprint and save money on their energy costs.

Jan Boyd chief executive of EMS, is pleased with the recognition they have shown.

She said “The nomination alone is fantastic news and we are thrilled.”

“It’s all down to the hard work and dedication of the staff and Trustees of EMS Ltd.”

The awards take place on Thursday 4 September at Oxford Town Hall as part of the Local Authorities and Communities Conference.

At East Hull Community Farm lots of family activities over the summer holidays.  If you live in Southcoates or Longhill wards in east Hull give us a call and book your children on.