Help Yourself Grow is managed by Gail Cochrane. She is assisted by Scott Green, who is a former participant of Help Yourself Grow, as well as a fantastic team of trainers and leaders.

Find out more about them all below.

I have always said that Help Yourself Grow is much more than learning about gardening or cooking, it’s about developing team building, communication and decision making skills, as well as making new friends and connections.

Gail, team leader

Gail Cochrane, Team Leader

I have worked with Help Yourself Grow since 2015, following careers in both the Clydesdale Bank and Glasgow City Council.

I love the variety of the role, as because its such a small team, you are involved in every aspect of the programme such as recruitment, marketing, funding and evaluation.

My favourite memory was from pre covid when we had an end of year day away with the HYG trainees to Ardentinny Outdoor Centre. It was amazing to see friendships being formed, people really pushing themselves to try new things and that sense of achievement from doing that, and just how much people had come on over the previous year.

I have always said that Help Yourself Grow is much more than learning about gardening or cooking, it’s about developing team building, communication and decision making skills, as well as making new friends and connections.

My favourite things to grow in the garden are roses and sweet peas, as I love fragrant flowers.

Scott Green, Assistant Trainer

I’ve been working with Help Yourself Grow since 2016 and have been with Fair Deal since 2010 working part time and have had a variety of jobs.

What l love about Help Yourself Grow is it gives the person a chance to learn not only gardening and cooking, it gives the person confidence and encouragement to be more independent and make friends within a group

My favourite memory of Help Yourself Grow is the award ceremony where both garden and cooking  participants were there talking to each other and having fun.

My favourite things to grow are tomatoes and sweetcorn.

Gillian Feighery, trainer

I have worked with Fair Deal on the Help Yourself Grow project since 2018. Fair Deal have a very welcoming and friendly attitude, with a vision to empower people in their local community, which was the initial driving force behind me wanting to work with them, as they have the same core values as myself.

Help Yourself Grow has also given me the opportunity me to train young adults with additional needs in the subjects that I am passionate about, such as food and flower growing, wildlife, crafting and more.

I have my own garden at home but working in the garden space we have at Help Yourself Grow is a wonderful opportunity to have.

 

Ian Borthwick, trainer

I have a background in art with a diploma and post diploma in the subject. I worked as a technical illustrator in the oil industry then as a draughtsman.

After I was made redundant, I decided to take up gardening. I formed my own landscaping and garden maintenance business which was fairly successful but hard work!

I became a community gardener for Govanhill Housing Association which I did for 12 years then I was made redundant again – the very day I found out I ran into Gail who told me she was looking for trainers for Help Yourself Grow and I’m still here!

All my Horticultural and Landscaping skills have been learned working with other people. My gardening skills were passed down to me by my mother and father who were keen gardeners and from colleagues I have worked with. I’ve also attended courses with Trellis and online training 

I still paint and make collages in my spare time: check me out on Instagram #beattockboy 

Ebany Dohle, trainer

I work as a community gardener and food worker around Castlemilk. I joined Fair Deal and the Help Yourself Grow programme as a garden trainer. Working with Fair Deal has been a rewarding experience because of the people I get to work with and the time we spend getting to know and look after the natural world.

I am a trained linguist and have worked extensively with Indigenous peoples on the topic of ethnobotanical knowledge. This has involved learning about sustainable traditional growing practices, and the importance of maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with the natural world.

In Castlemilk I have brought this experience to the gardening groups by encouraging participants to look beyond the individual tasks and think more broadly about how these relate to the bigger picture. For example promote biodiversity by avoiding chemical pesticides and organic fertilisers, or thinking about how to reduce and reuse waste by composting our kitchen waste which creates compost that feeds the plants we grow.

Amanda Mclellan, cookery trainer

I am Amanda Mclellan and I run the Help Yourself Grow cooking classes.  I have worked in the catering industry as a chef for a long time as well as being a REHIS trainer delivering compliance courses.  I have been working with Fair Deal for over 10 years now. We started off doing food hygiene courses, then cooking courses then Help Yourself Grow. 

The cooking classes are the best part of my week. We work as a team and make delicious food which we share and eat together. Fair Deal is a fantastic charity to work with and it has been a pleasure building such good friendships and creating many fabulous memories. 

I love supporting people in learning to cook, it brings a great level of independence and choice as well as the skills to work in catering.