disability – Crow Recycling

HOSPITALITY AT HEREWARD COLLEGE

The picture shows Crow volunteers and helpers at the Hereward College cafe. CROW Recycling's volunteers had a warm welcome from Hereward College's hospitality students. The Crow volunteers were invited for brunch at the Hereward College cafe where college students learn hospitality and catering skills. The event was chance for Hereward students to show off their skills making and serving a brunch complete with egg, bacon and sausage sandwiches, pastries and hot drinks. The students provided table service, cooked up tasty treats and ensured that allergies were taken into account making everyone feel safe and welcome. Crow volunteers also had chance to learn. They do regular cookery sessions at Crow with produce harvested from the garden and the visit was chance to find out about the more commercial side of catering. Office manager Lucy Lynch said: "A dull January day was brightened up by our trip to Hereward College. It was a learning experience but it also brought people together. Some of our volunteers used to be Hereward College students and it was nice for them to catch up with their former lecturers and support workers. "Bringing people together and creating a sense of community is a huge part of what we do at Crow." The visit was funded by an Awards for All National Lottery grant - a big thank you to the National Lottery ticket buyers who helped make it happen. Hereward College in Bramston Crescent, Tile Hill, Coventry, provides further education for people aged 16 to 25 with disabilities. Crow Recycling in Sparkbrook Street, Hillfields, Coventry, is a registered charity providing work placements and volunteering opportunities for people with disabilities, mainly learning difficulties.

We’ve shredded our 200,000th bag

Warehouse volunteer Michael at Crow Recycling CROW RECYCLING HITS 200,000 BAG MILESTONE Staff and volunteers at Crow are celebrating shredding their 200,000th bag of confidential waste. Since Crow Recycling was founded in 1985 as a charity offering work placements and volunteering opportunities to disabled people the organisation has destroyed 200,000 bags, approximately 10kg each, of confidential documents. Shredding confidential documents for customers is one of the ways Crow Recycling provides work placements for disabled people. Other ways include running a Scrapstore selling donated items for arts and crafts, processing non confidential paper, selling animal bedding and processing drinks cans for recycling. Office manager Lucy Lynch said: “Destroying confidential waste is one of the ways we provide work placements for disabled people. “We’ve kept going through the ups and downs of the last thirty eight years varying from shrinking grant funding to Covid and we’re delighted to reach this milestone. “A big thank you to all our volunteers both disabled and non disabled, customers, funders and supporters.” Volunteering at Crow gives a taste of life in the work place – for some people their first one. Some move on to more demanding placements or paid work while others volunteer long term at Crow. Crow also welcomes secondary school pupils with special needs on short term work experience placements. Once destroyed by shredding the confidential documents are recycled as animal bedding or sent to paper mills to be sold on for recycling, very often as toilet paper. The charity was founded by Barbara Cowling in 1985. Originally Crow was based at the Barras Heath Wholesale Market in Stoke, Coventry, moving to its current location Orchard House in Sparkbrook Street, Hillfields, Coventry, in 1999.