Farm seeks the green light for growth plan

A growth in the public’s appetite for organic foods is driving new expansion at Peterborough’s Sacrewell Farm.

The organic vegetable growers are seeking the green light for a two storey office extension to their existing warehouse.

The proposed 252sqm offices would include meeting rooms, hot desks, pods and break out spaces.

The expansion will help the farm, which has 100 staff, cope with a current surge in demand for its produce and as well as future growth.

Luke King, Riverford commercial and operations

director, said: “We were experiencing strong growth early in 2020, pre-Covid.

“Thiswasdrivenbyadesire for more plant-based eating and a continuing desire from our customers to eat organically.

“The surge in demand we experienced in the face of the pandemic was driven by a rise in home delivery, and we saw our own sales increase as customers decided to shop more frequently with us.

So what are your plans for June 21 henceforth known as VC Day (Victory over Covid Day)? I don’t want to be a merchant of doom but the first thing we have to steel ourselves for is it may never happen (not on June 21, at least). But I fervently hope it does because I’ve had it up to here with lockdown.

Perhaps Peterborough City Council could lead the celebrations. It could re-open St Peter’s Arcade (pictured) for one day until it’s closed for good so we, the residents, could have a last look at the £300,000 refurbishments we paid for.

And maybe they could ask the mayor to do a ceremonial pushing over of the temporary cycle lane barriers on Crescent Bridge.

In the meantime, I can wait to go down the pub, go on holiday, even see the mighty whites at Elland Road but I can’t wait to see Yorkshire Mother again.

A year has gone by since I last saw her. She’s 89, a heart attack survivor, living independently on her own and tough as teak.

Thankfully, the rest of my immediate family live within a mile or so, so she’s had support nearby but I dread to think what might have been.

I can’t wait to see my children start to really live their young lives again.

I want to see Schoolgirl T swimming again with her immaculate technique.

She’s even promised to give me, a self-taught and hence, er, unorthodox swimmer, some lessons.

And I want to see Schoolboy T back at the Key Youth Theatre showing off some of those dance moves he has honed during lockdown.

And I hope their next birthdays they can have a party with their friends.

And I hope I can get a haircut soon.. .my barnet is bad, not Boris Johnson bad, but bad!

This week, I helped launch a report. It was a rare report because it called for reforms that wouldn’t cost money. In fact, taxpayers would save money.

Look Ahead Care and Support estimates that nearly £1 billion could be saved each year by extending integrated mental health, social care and supported housing services across England. Their report is a robust analysis of how supported housing keeps people with mental health problems out of hospital.

This means more than savings. The online launch began with a video from service users, which had the hairs standing up on the back of my neck.

It was the first time one man had ever had his own, private shower. He said it made him feel “like a king”. There are lots of these small - but incredibly significant and humanising - differences between long-term hospital care and being supported to live independently.

The sad truth is that there isn’t enough money to sustain the social care system, as things stand. Any way to save money while improving outcomes must be seized.

Yet only a handful of NHS trusts and local authorities are adopting Look Ahead’s integrated approach. In my view, this missed opportunity comes down to culture.

I’m not casting aspersions. The system just isn’t geared towards different organisations working together. As regular readers will know, both my parents both worked in the care sector. I’ve been vocal about the work and extraordinary sacrifices made on our behalf, which needs to be properly valued.

The pandemic has brought the long-term future of care into even sharper focus.

Lasting reform will require innovation and leadership from our Conservative Government, but also political courage on the part of the Labour opposition. The tendency for social care funding to become a political football had done the most to block progress.

Two decades have seen at least a dozen white papers on social care reform. Ambitions

are easy to state: it takes legislation and political will to achieve them.

Social care is not just about old people, important as that is, but vulnerable people of all ages. Supported housing is key. I hope we will see more here in Peterborough.

As the Chancellor works on his budget, there is a big opportunity. Look Ahead’s report sets it out in compelling detail.

Likewise, as we emerge from the pandemic, the need for mental health services will only grow. Integration of all these services is long overdue.

The Prime Minister has given us a roadmap for leaving lockdown.

A roadmap for integrated social care would be as profound as the creation of the NHS.

The tendency for social care funding to become a political football had done the most to block progress

In his recent article – 18th February, “Culture in the city – what next?” Toby Wood makes two references to Vivacity that I should not let pass without comment.

He states that “….many would say that some of (Vivacity’s) demise was down to a top-heavy and remote management structure”.

I am wondering who the many are that think this? Probably not the 106,000 city residents that used and enjoyed Vivacity’s services regularly. The fact is that the “top heavymanagementstructure” inherited from the Council was actually cut by two thirds over the last 10 years. As to “remote”, 98% of Vivacity’s c500 staff live in Greater Peterborough as did every Trustee.

Toby then states that “Vivacity has now handed its services and virtually empty coffers back to the Council”. Empty coffers? Vivacity never did have “coffers”, as an independent charity all income received and any surpluses made were reinvested in its services. In simple terms

Luke King