Steve Glover – Founder of The Severn Project
“For the future I hope to see more of everything that is happening now”, Steve Glover.
What is your job about?
We produce local food, as a vehicle to provide education, training and employment. It involves empowerment of individuals, communities and generation of revenue on a sustainable basis. Volunteers, paid staff and apprentices, run the project many of whom have suffered addictions in the past.
We deliver to 80 restaurants and Bristol and 120 venues further afield.
There is a community hub for people to receive support advice etc
We also have a linked organisation in Spain called the Centre for Marginalised and Socially Excluded, to provide imports for the times of the year where salads are not grown in the UK.
What issues do you address?
- Food poverty
- Addiction
- Reoffending
- Recidivism
- Creating employment
- Sustainable support opportunities
- Simple principles of employment and empowerment
What moved you to take action?
Personal experience of cocaine addiction, I decided to become an addiction counsellor. Whilst living in Spain I realized that I was looking into the abyss and I either had to do something like this or I would die. I got a degree in addiction counseling and I started the project.
What are the obstacles that you had to overcome?
- Tiredness, learning a new skill, work ethics
- Some people have never been habilitated so it is very difficult to teach them this
- Changing perceptions
- Changing someone’s internal culture
What helped keep you going during hard times?
Bloody Mindedness
When did you first become interested in environmental issues?
Always lived close to the outdoors
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being very happy) where would you rate how you feel about your life?
7-10
http://www.thesevernproject.org/
