Mires Beck has been a registered charity since 1994, charity number: 1038078. We provide work experience and social therapeutic horticulture for adults who live with the challenges of learning difficulties, Autism and physical disabilities at our 14 acre nursery and conservation site. Exposed to the benefits of the natural rural environment on which the nursery sits, the work with our services users enriches lives with improvements in their physical and social abilities. Over the last 25 years we have grown to supporting 100 adults weekly through our adult day service and commercial enterprise and we are still growing.
Green Therapy is an increasingly recommended route for many people in our society and we are proud to be able to offer an exemplary standard in this area. Our reach to the community is broad and many people benefit from time spent visiting the nursery. We continue to share the benefits of Mires Beck with many volunteers and are working to be recognised as a location for our local community for Social Prescribing.
We have a team of 75 wonderful people, made up of staff and volunteers committed to the success of the charity, who work tirelessly to provide the nurturing and care our service users deserve to enable them to reach their full potential. The combined efforts of everyone at Mires Beck results in an extraordinary level of care of people and production of high quality plants and trees, which are grown to sell to the public and to the horticultural trade. The recognition in the industry of this quality standard has resulted in a successful social enterprise that allows us the opportunity for diversity and expansion opportunities for more service users. We are heavily engaged in plant conservation and environmental initiatives and these two factors have played a huge part in recent production expansion. We celebrate many national days that highlight our work such as World Conservation Day. We write many blogs and highlight all of the things that are associated with the charity's aims and work.
We sell all of our plants and trees to fund the operation and help to sustain growth.
Mires Beck Nursery was awarded the 2021/22 Rural Business Award of The Year - charities category, and became the national charity runner up. We are proud to carry these awards for our region and to celebrate the 30 years of service the charity has given to the community.
Meet Our Team
Find out more about our team members by clicking on the buttons below their pictures.
"Working within a green environment has improved my mental health so much since I started working here. Before I came here, I worked in an office environment and I used to dread the moment the phones would start ringing. I once hated waking up on a morning and now I can't wait to start my day all over again here at Mires Beck Nursery. I love that I now spend my days listening to the wildlife as well as the wind blowing through the trees."- Liz - Plant Preparation Supervisor.
A Successful Charity
The charity operates from our registered office and community hub called the Oassis at our 14 acre horticultural nursery and conservation site; which is well provided for with 4 large greenhouses, 7 poly-tunnels and 2 shade halls for plants and summer working. Our main building has 3 offices, a fully equipped kitchen providing meals for service user catering and charity events and 3 further craft/classrooms. We redecorated this building in 2019 adding wooly sound clouds to the community hall to lesson the noise impact on the service users and have planned many courses and events to be held at the Oasis annually from 2020 onward.
We have an independent building the Anniversary Garden which plays host to service users in need of one to one care which has its own catering and recreation space. This facility is focus for our future expansion of our provision for adults with more complex care needs requiring more personal care and space, to enable us to enhance their experience at Mires Beck.
Besides horticulture, our Service Users engage in many varied types of craft work and these products are sold at fairs we hold on-site, as well as sold in our retail shop.
We have a huge resource of natural material available on-site and have a specialism making bug hotels which are available for order at the shop. All monies raised are used by the charity to pursue its aims and provide for the service user needs.
Parent Beneficiaries
Please watch the video below to learn about how we at Mires Beck Nursery have helped our service users/trainees through their crisis' during COVID-19.
And remember to donate to us on our Just Giving website so that we can continue to provide our services to vulnerable adults.
Family Testimonials:
"Lewis is much more settled at home now he's back into his routine at Mires Beck. Lewis is much happier in himself and I am finding things so much easier" ~ Sheena (Lewis' Mum)
"Karli had a couple of meltdowns during the Christmas holidays because her routine had been disrupted. It has made such a difference Karli being back at Mires Beck. She always arrives home with a smile on her face and says she's had a good day! We would be absolutely lost without Mires Beck's service" ~ Elaine (Karli's Mum)
"Craig is so happy to be back at Mires Beck and it has made such a different to his mood/behaviour. I'm finding things so much easier and Craig is always happy when he arrives home! He enjoys being with his friends and doing something different, which is definitely what he needs!" ~ Julie (Craig's Mum)
Green Therapy
Mires Beck is now a place for doctors to recommend to people struggling with mental health issues to come and volunteer, as our charity includes horticultural therapy. Please watch the video below to listen to what our volunteers have to say about our Green Therapy at Mires Beck:
We have received funding through Humber Coast and Vale Green Social Prescribing to do art classes! Link on the button below to find out more:
Please Donate To Mires Beck Nursery
You will be helping us to secure the future of the charity by funding ongoing operations and helping us with expansion and enhancement projects at our site for our service users, staff and volunteers. Here we will maintain the vital work done to improve health and wellness for the vulnerable in society. These vulnerable adults will gain their work experience in our safeguarded environment, with the horticulture and woodland craft therapy we offer, giving them routine and purpose in their lives that is essential to maintain balance for them and their families.
Mires Beck nursery aims to continue the work of the founders, to specialise in the growing of wildflowers and phragmites, both essential in larger conservation projects and more recently have expanded the tree nursery to supply demand for trees to combat climate change. We are also a well respected producer of herbaceous perennials and herbs and supply many garden centres within Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and this year will market to supply more garden centres and farm shops. Developing enterprise includes the expansion of vegetable production for retail, craft work for retail and the use of the hub for regular courses held at weekends.
Mires Beck has been a registered charity since 1994. Its aim is providing day service and horticultural work experience to adults living with a range of profound and multiple learning disabilities including: (PMLD), Autism (ASD), Downs Syndrome and physical disabilities. At our nursery and conservation site, they receive the benefits of the natural rural environment on which the nursery sits.
Over the last 30 years we have grown to supporting 100 adults weekly through our special needs day care service and we are still growing.
Someone once said of visiting the nursery that ‘Mires Beck Nursery has an ethos which we might sum up as respect, acceptance, equality, encouragement, enthusiasm.'
'But the ethos is not worn as a badge or paraded as anything special. It is just implicit in the everyday actions of everyone involved at the nursery. This ethos and the way it is applied is what lies behind the success of the service'.
1985
Richard and Irene Tinklin Buy 10 acres of land to create Mires Beck Nursery. After visiting the United States on a Churchill scholarship, the founders were able to learn about projects providing horticultural teaching to adults with learning disabilities. The nursery facility started with one barn as its only premises from which to operate the project. and one greenhouse as its starting point for production of wildflowers.
1994
The business was registered as a charity. 9 years later with the provision of 2 glasshouses and new portocabins to house the service users coming to the nursery, the trustees officially registered Mires Beck as a charity. Fundraising commenced for further greenhouses and poly-tunnels delivered over the coming years. In 2006 the Anniversary Garden was built which plays host to service users in need of one to one care.
2005
The charity was donated 4 acres of land by Humberside Aggregates. After 2 quarry works adjacent to the nursery were completed, Mires Beck was donated the land to turn into conservation projects for planting and creation of habitat for wildlife. Today we are working to expand the original plans to create further recreation and learning for our service users, staff and visitors.
2010
The Oasis Opened. After generous fundraising by many charitable bodies, the nursery built a new central hub with facilities for the developing client base, which has since seen numbers double. We are about to commence fundraising for the further much needed expansion of the Anniversary Garden to deliver the build of new a facility for up to 40 service users with both learning and physical difficulties.
2012
Mires Beck was awarded the Queens Volunteers Award. The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is an annual award given to groups in the voluntary sector of the United Kingdom. The award is equivalent to the MBE and is the highest award that can be made to a voluntary group. The award is managed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
2012-2019
Agricultural and Horticultural Show Awards. At the Harrogate Show between 2012 - 2016, 2 gold medals were achieved and 3 Silver & Silver Gilt medals were won for perennials and wildflower displays. At the Driffield Show between 2017 - 2019 3 gold medals were achieved for herbaceous perennials and wildflowers.
2020
We opened a new tree nursery, and built 10 vegetable beds!
2021
Mires Beck has had a great year of awards and projects! This year we have been awarded the Lottery grant to protect the nursery during the pandemic, installed 4 new polytunnels, awarded the Garden of Sanctuary from City of Sanctuary, opened our beautiful new AS. Apothecary Rose Garden, and have been shortlisted in the Rural Business Awards North Best Rural Social Enterprise, Charity or Community Project Finalists of 2021/22!