Current Students and Staff

// University News

1 Feb 2016

PhD graduate encourages us to grow, connect and share with new venture

Design School graduate, Dr Rose Deakin is on a mission to reconnect communities through the joy of growing with her new venture, The Crop Club.

Born in The Studio, Loughborough’s incubation hub, The Crop Club aims to encourage people to grow their own food, share their knowledge and experiences, and promote biodiversity.

Inspired by her success growing food in containers while living in rented accommodation, Rose has applied her PhD knowledge in Sustainable Materials Selection to launch a range of sustainable grow your own kits for adults and children.

These kits feature sustainable gardening products, seeds and upcycled planter bags so that everybody can start growing regardless of space limitations. Seeds packs combine vegetables, herbs and edibles flowers to promote biodiversity.

To help get her business off the ground, Rose is set to launch a Crowdfunder campaign as part of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s War on Waste initiative.

Crowdfunder is platform used to raise money, awareness and support for various projects. It is a means of funding that allows individuals to realise their ideas with the power of the crowd.

Rose is very keen to engage people who are interested in directing the future of The Crop Club. To help make her venture a reality, pledges start from as little as £1, and rewards include early bird discounts on Rose’s gardening gear.

Rose’s Crowdfunder page is now live. Click here to  make a pledge.

Campaign closes Monday 29 February.