Abundance London is delighted to announce that we have been offered funding for a staff member, one day a week for a year. Until now Abundance, founded in 2010, has been almost entirely volunteer-run. Now a very generous donation from the JJM Fund, managed by The Talent Fund means that Abundance will be able to spread further afield.

Jen Thorndycraft will be joining as Head of Community Projects. Many people in Chiswick already know Jen as she has been volunteering with Abundance for 18 months, leading our Beaconsfield Gardens project on Acton Lane. She will continue to do this as a volunteer, while also working for Abundance London in close partnership with the founder-director, Karen Liebreich, and all the volunteers and existing ‘Head Gardeners’ and fruit pickers.

The news of the appointment was announced to the main volunteers at a networking and upskilling event, a Willow Weaving Workshop, funded by Hounslow Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Karen said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jen, and so grateful to the JJM Fund, who approached us via the Talent Fund, having identified us as a group that could do more, given the right support.’

Jen said, ‘I can see the impact that Abundance has had on my community and I am thrilled to be able to do more of the same in as many places around west London as possible.’

New projects are already in the pipeline with community centres, housing estates and West Middlesex Hospital, and further pocket parks are being planned.

Jen Thorndycraft, (c) Chris Tetlow

Willow obelisks ,(c) Jeremy Levy