One of the founders of a community garden charity in Inverclyde has praised the NHSGGC Community Benefits Gateway – and has encouraged other local organisations to take advantage of this often untapped resource.
The Community Benefits Gateway is a free and easy-to-use online service that connects NHS suppliers with third-sector community organisations around Scotland.
As Scotland’s largest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is committed to using its status as an Anchor Organisation to share a range of benefits among the communities it serves, and to help people beyond the provision of health and social care services. It is a major contributor to the Community Benefit Gateway, and encourages third-sector organisations to consider signing up to access the goods and services they need.
When Inverclyde Shed needed help with maintenance work and garden repairs, the Gateway turned out to be the ideal place to get help.
Bruce, Lead Volunteer Gardener and co-founder of Inverclyde Shed, said: “A local organisation we work with, Port Glasgow 2025, told us about the Community Benefit Gateway, so we decided to have a look.
“We’re a relatively well funded charity and we’re aware from that point of view we’re lucky, but there are some things that are tricky for us to get.
“Garden items, such as compost, can be difficult, but to be honest the most valuable asset we can access is time.”
Bruce said that many companies whose workforces are largely office-based are keen to help, for away days and team-building exercises.
“This was exactly what we needed at the time, so we registered with the Gateway, logged on to the Portal there and left our request for help,” said Bruce.
The Community Benefit Gateway Portal is a relatively straightforward process bringing third sector organisations and businesses together.
Once a connection is made through the portal, the two parties are encouraged to make contact, agree the details of the project such as timescales, staffing resources etc, ensuring the both parties are happy to move forward.
Through this process, Inverclyde Shed was paired with healthcare technology company Solventum, who provided five volunteers for a day, to help move five tons of compost and woodchips, prepare and weed beds, repair paths and harvest some vegetables.
“It was really straightforward,” said Bruce. “Once Solventum came forward, we arranged a Teams meeting to ensure everyone understood what was required and how the day would go.
“We would like to thank Solventum for their help and hard work. I think everyone would agree the whole process was a major success.”
The Solventum team spent the day helping to get the garden prepared for the charity’s regular volunteers.
One of the Shed team, Alistair, is in his 80s and while he loves the garden and works hard during his volunteering shifts, he gets frustrated that he is no longer able to take on the more strenuous aspects of his role.
The work by the Solventum team allowed Alistair and other Shed volunteers to concentrate on planting and other lighter duties – and all their hard work was instrumental in helping the garden engage more widely with the community.
Chris Sanderson, Head of Procurement at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said:
“Community Benefits are considered through contractual procurement activity within NHSGGC, with a main purpose of improving economic, social or environmental wellbeing within the geographical boundaries of the health board region.
“In NHSGGC, our procurement teams work in partnership with their key supply base to explore and uptake Community Benefit ‘needs’ on the Gateway.
“We have an annual trade spend of more £900 million within Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and these Community Benefits allow us to support a huge range of third-sector and community organisations, providing goods, services and expertise for the benefit of everyone.
“The Community Benefit Gateway is a national resource used by all health boards, and the example of Inverclyde Shed shows just how straightforward and beneficial this system can be to communities in this area.
“We would like to thank the staff of Solventum, and all companies who have signed up to the Gateway, for their hard work and support.”
READ MORE: Five Top Tips to make the most of the Community Benefit Gateway
