Jam and chutney hold key to finding work

JAM and chutney cooked in a church kitchen could mean the end to long-term unemployment for some Londoners.

A social enterprise scheme, started by Maurice Cumber in Crouch End, is working to raise confidence and employment skills by selling these jars to raise money for residents to put on their own photography exhibition.

Accumul8 grew from the residents at the North London YMCA wanting to move forward with their lives.

Local people have donated fruit and vegetables to kick-start the scheme with produce from their allotments, back gardens and vegetable patches.

The group take these donations to the Church of the Holy Innocents to make chutney and jams, despite them battling poor mental health, substance abuse and often dealing with the criminal justice system.

Despite the challenges, a morning spent making chutney quickly became popular. Garfield, aged 26, said: “Its the highlight of my week.

“It makes a change to watching TV, visiting the dole office or just hanging out at the YMCA day in day out.”

An initial grant was given to Accumul8 by the New North London Synagogue Social Action Project to help fund the labels and initial costs of having a stall at local craft fairs.

As the Synagogue became more involved, more fruit was collected from the congregation and links were subsequently forged between two different faiths and two very different communities.