God Told Me To Make Chutney For Him...

When Ali Horton shared an idea with Janet Hughes it started a journey of faith that has helped them reach out in their community

- Ali Horton

“We want God to less Bootle,” say Ali Horton and Janet Hughes.

“We don’t want it to be known for drinking and drugs. We want people who don’t know Jesus to meet him.”

Since 2011, Janet and Ali have run a social enterprise, the Gateway Collective. They make and sell chutneys, pickles, jams and craft and textile products, and are building connections with non-Christians in their deprived Liverpool suburb via a community garden.

The project began after Ali felt God told her to ‘make chutney for me’ and Janet sensed him telling her to use a social enterprise to connect with her community.

A conversation at church brought the pair together and they began selling chutney and craft items at farmers markets soon afterwards. But the project grew rapidly when Janet and Ali, both members of Bootle Elim, were given land to use for a community garden in 2015.

“One day, the charity I worked for was doing an event in the park and the parks team was there,” says Ali.

“Tongue in cheek, I asked them if they had any land we could use. A council officer pointed to an old bowling green with an area fenced off to the side and said we could have it. So North Park Community Garden came into existence.”

The garden flourished as word about it spread. Today, it attracts dozens of volunteers each week and has tripled in size, creating space to grow everything from carrots, cabbage, beetroot and sweetcorn to potatoes, tomatoes and a huge variety of fruit.