Parklea welcomes new team member
Parklea is delighted to welcome Hazel Boulton to the team as the Community Hub & Café Development Officer.
As the project commences for our new Community Hub we needed to bring on board someone with experience to be responsible for the implementation of the Community Café model. The role is to add value to the services here at Parklea, identify and assess future opportunities for the community café model, and initiate set up.
Hazel has a wealth of experience coming from a background of Community based housing associations, working with clients and the wider community. Hazel also worked in a support role, coordinating tenants with challenging situations and linking them with the support services they required.
However, more recently, people in the Gourock area may be more familiar with Hazel as the face of Kai Smokehouse. After a trip to New Zealand with her husband, they were inspired to make a change and take on a whole new challenge. They successfully ran Kai Smokehouse in Gourock for over 3 years and she very used to the behind the scenes elements of running and food and beverage business.
Hazel is currently working on a programme of workshop sessions with our clients to inform them of our new Cafe/hub development and get their views and input on how we want the space to be used, what we want it to look like inside, what do we want to call it etc.
Hazel said, “It's really important that the new building is an integral part of the Parklea experience and that clients feel a sense of ownership towards it.
“I've also been out and about with our colleagues from the Inverclyde Community Food Network visiting and meeting with other community grows across Inverclyde and will be visiting other community based Cafe's and projects over the next few months to learn from the experience of others.
“I'm loving being here, having spoken with some of the volunteers one thing they all say is that there is something special about Parklea that we can't quite explain. The atmosphere is supportive, relaxed and creative, there is a real 'can do' attitude and that the needs of the clients are at the center of everything we do. I'm really excited at the opportunity we have here to create a unique space for our clients and community.”
Welcome to the team Hazel!