Grow your own
A therapeutic gardening project where our efforts result in a tangible sense of achievement, boosting confidence, self-esteem and positive mental health by helping us to relax and de-stress.
The project encourages individuals and families to get involved in gardening by supporting, guiding and advising them through weekly sessions on planting and tending to their plants. In this new ‘normal’ where anxiety thrives, we want individuals and families to find peace in scanning for new shoots, watching plants grow and harvesting their produce for personal use. Through this therapeutic activity, we aim offer individual and family-level improvements; providing resources such as seeds and seedlings and support for individuals and family members to mitigate the effects of confinement by enhancing the conditions of the home environment and levels of well-being and emotional health.
Our sponsor
This project was part-funded by The Charles Burrell Centre in Thetford. Charles Burrell Centre Limited is a non-profit organisation with exempt charity status founded in 2015 and established as a community benefit society. With over 85,000 square feet of building space as well as playing fields and tennis courts, the centre is now home to over 40 organisations which include commercial businesses and local charities.
Outcomes
Since the start of the project in May 2020, we have actively engaged, through digital and virtual methods, with more than 45 individuals and families from across Norfolk and internationally, in South Africa. Our weekly Facebook posts and updates reached more than 500 readers with at least 150 likes and positive feedback about the project. Telephonic conversations with some of our beneficiaries highlighted the value of the project especially for families and individuals who lived alone. Some say that the project gave them focus during the COVID 19 lockdown and weekly posts allowed them to engage with the 'outside' world. Many said that children and adults experienced a sense of pride when they were ready to harvest the fruits and vegetables they planted.
