Thank you very much to the team at Strawberry Fields for their brilliant hospitality.
Recently Chamber CEO Rachel Peak and Working Well Coordinator Cheryl Smeatham had the privilege of meeting up with Kathy and Allister Versfeld at Strawberry Field for a light lunch and a tour of the lovely premises. Kathy and Allister both signed up to be Working Well Champions which is indicative of how they look after the health and wellbeing of their staff, volunteers and visitors to the centre.
The whole ambiance of the building has a serenity about it even though it is a really busy place, bustling with information about John Lennon, the Beatles and the inception of Strawberry Field, focusing on how the Salvation Army came to be such an important feature in John Lennons life and Strawberry Field itself. Both Rachel and Cheryl saw the beautiful John Lennons ‘Imagine’ piano whilst walking through the interactive visitor exhibition centre along with the host of gifts, t-shirts and replica memorabilia on sale.
The café was busy offering both snacks, sandwiches, hot meals and of course cheesy chips (who can resist!). Strawberry Field is a very tranquil place, having a soundproof quiet room for reflection, running the ‘Steps to Work’ programme with amazing success, the Learning Hub providing students and learners with the opportunity to gain experience of life within the workplace, Steps to volunteering (leading to a volunteering qualification) and Recycles – a programme that provides participants on the job training refurbishing and selling cycles which are donated by the public, the proceeds of which are put right back into supporting Strawberry Field. This is just a mention of a few of the services they have on offer. The gardens are well manicured and you can find the original ‘Red Gates’, the Ukrainian Peace Monument and of course the magnificent red and blue bandstand sporting an intricate mosaic tiled floor with just one word ‘imagine’.
Strawberry Field is a beautiful place and well worth a visit. Find out more about Strawberry Field below.