Welcome to Growing Connections

Cultivating friendship, Sharing experience, Nurturing energy

Growing Connections is a community based voluntary organisation based at a farm outside Bangor in Northern Ireland. The personal experiences and circumstances of its founding members and farm owners, led them to explore the value of working with nature and connecting with like-minded people as a way of promoting personal well-being.

The group set up Growing Connections in February 2009, with a long term vision to establish a fully fledged care farm. In its first 9 months Growing Connections has seen its membership grow to over 40 interested individuals, who bring with them a range of skills and expertise to help realise the overall vision. Attaining this long-term vision we believe will take approximately 5 years. The project consists of 5 main phases and already phase 1 is well underway. Involvement in all aspects of the project is fully inclusive and we welcome new members from all walks of life.

Read on to learn about our project and to see how you can get involved. Let's make a difference together!

Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you. – nef research project