11 make your garden grow

Having kicked off with Stennack in St Ives with their fabulous Sensory and Edible Garden, more have followed suit and we now have a String of Green Pearls emerging- gardens and green spaces right next to or in collaboration with practices for staff and patients, from a couple of welcoming benches and some planters, to full blown permacultural community gardens; and lots more happening across our hospital and health sites in secondary care. You can find out about the wider String of Green Pearls here.

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The benefits are huge. Good for staff rest and respite; good for patient physical and mental health; good for community connection, good for water management in the soil; good for pollinators, good for learning about food and caring for our ecosystems; good to have somewhere to sit and breathe. There is nothing to not like.

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If you're not growing already - give us a shout. We're pretty good and finding ways to help you make it happen!

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And a few words from Fowey!

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"Just wanted to show you what we have done with the grant money for our patients.

Whilst I was there today filling the planter, all the patients that were passing me (and my husband who helped me choose the plants/plant them) were so pleased with it.

We had comments like 'this is such a lovely thing to do' 'the view will be amazing from that bench'

I am so happy especially as the patients will get so much joy from it.

It has inspired us to do more planting of plants/flowers in our other grass areas at the front of the building to make it more welcoming.

Thank you again for the grant.

Tracey"

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And if you want to find out more locally - have a look at the fantastic Gardening for Health Map being created by Dr Richard Claxton. In his words:

"People living with mental health problems, physical health problems, sensory impairments, learning disabilities, and a range of other problems including loneliness and isolation are all increasingly able to access help, support and camaraderie through these organisations. They also provide huge benefits for those that work for them – often giving their time and expertise on a voluntary basis.

The problem that I encountered as a GP was that I was unaware of what was available in my area. Often I’d come across these organisations in a rather haphazard way – perhaps visiting a garden in the National Garden Scheme, or as an affiliate of the Royal Horticultural Society – and only then understanding the role they could offer my patients, either to be service users, or to work as volunteers. I’d often find some amazing charity and blog about it – but was both sad that local GPs were unaware of its existence, and frustrated that the benefits were available to such a small,localised population.

So with Social Prescribing booming, and actively encouraged by the UK Government, there seemed to me to be a lack of coordination and publicising of the available services – either to prescribers like myself, other health or social care workers, or even for members of the public to self-refer.

This website is my attempt to address this need. I hope that people can use it primarily to find out what services are available in any given locality within the UK. I also hope that the organisations themselves may be able to use it as a means of networking and liaising with like-minded Horticulturalists."