Developing gardens to improve mental health and wellbeing
Come along and join our friendly groups. Whether you want to improve your health and wellbeing or volunteer (or both of these), everyone is welcome.
Be Part of Our Team
Reduce Anxiety
Get Active
Learn New Skills
LATEST EVENTS
Summer Garden Open Morning at Baytree
On Friday 29th July, we held an open event in our Baytree Garden to raise funds and spread the word about our horticultural therapy work. The event was well-supported and attended, and we even got into our local paper The Voice. We were also thrilled to take delivery of our new garden seating for the vegetable area, which was funded by kind donations from our local ward councillors Anthony Casson, Andrew Woolf and Thomas Sneath. Thanks for their generosity and for the fantastic support we receive from Reinhard Biehle and his team and Baytree.
Our new garden seating being enjoyed by (from left to right) Councillor Anthony Casson, his wife Linda, Social Prescriber Maxine Kehoe, Diane Ridgley and Joanna Ward (Greenwell HT), Social Prescriber Rachel Okwadi, Nigel Wallis (Baytree) and Karen Chard (Greenwell HT)
We have supported and made a positive difference to over 150 participants during the past year at our garden projects.
Gardening enables people to interact and develop social relationships in a relaxed setting, so lessening feelings of isolation and loneliness. They can also learn new skills or regain lost skills which is good for confidence and self esteem.
There is a great deal of evidence to show that gardening significantly reduces stress and anxiety. This is partly because people can garden at their own pace and become absorbed in tasks like weeding, planting and digging.
Gardening is good for physical and mental health as it involves physical activity in outdoor spaces, allowing people to reconnect with nature and appreciate cycles of planting and growing during the different seasons.
Here are quotes from some of our beneficiaries:
‘Being part of the garden project has changed my life. I’m no longer depressed, anxious and isolated and feel I have purpose in my life again’ (Ian)
‘I love doing the planting as it reminds me of when my husband was alive. We used to plant so many flowers and vegetables in our garden. I enjoy eating the vegetables we harvest as they always taste delicious, like they used to’. (Wendy)
‘The garden is my guaranteed happy place and has been a lifesaver for me. It lessens the stress and anxiety of looking after my father as I have a place to escape to no matter what has been going on in my life.’ (Sarah)
‘I enjoy the planting when they come to do activities. I can’t see now so can’t do gardening outside. I used to work in plant nurseries when I was younger and really enjoyed it. I love feeling the soil and the roots and the plants as it takes me back to better days. I like taking the plants home to give to my sister.’ (Peter)
Fiona planting bulbs and making Christmas wreaths in one of our indoor activity sessions at Baytree
Our patron, Sir John Hayes MP getting stuck into some serious digging at Gosberton
Brendan and Ian clearing overgrown branches and making compost bins at Gosberton
