Growing plants and people
Sally Welbourn looks at an innovative project in Swanage
Published in October ’17
‘Let’s get some fresh air’. Take a moment to think about this sentence. Have you used it? If you have, in what kind of situation? Did you need a break, some time to re-charge and stretch your legs, or a moment to regain some mental positivity and rejuvenate yourself? The chances are that if you stepped outside, took a deep breath and focussed on something green, you probably felt better.
Sorting out plant pots at Greengage Credit Brian Bleese
Deep down, we all know that being outside improves our wellbeing. Mental health charities, doctors and counsellors are now all prescribing a good dose of the outdoors for people experiencing depression, anxiety and a whole host of complex mental illnesses. But why does it help us?
Numerous scientific studies have been carried out proving that engaging with activities in a natural environment provides more benefits to mental and emotional wellbeing than the same activities indoors. Patients in hospital who are able to look out a window and see ‘green’ will recover faster than patients looking at a building. The mental health charity, Mind, say that we benefit from being outside because it makes us physically fitter, helps us learn new skills and provides social interaction with others. It seems that being outdoors is the place to be, so it is not surprising that different types of ecotherapy have evolved in recent years, such as directed walking or working with animals.
Making bug houses and bird houses
By using horticultural therapy, Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) has seen the physical and mental health benefits in action with the start of its Greengage project in Swanage. DWT’s Community Conservation Officer and qualified psychotherapist with ten years’ experience in private practice and the NHS, Briony Baxter, heard about a disused Swanage Town Council nursery: an ideal environment for ecotherapy activities. ‘The site is perfect,’ says Briony. ‘It’s a large, sheltered greenhouse which has electricity and loos and is easily accessible by public transport. We were lucky that the Town Council were very supportive, allowing us to lease the land, and the project started officially in October 2016. The site had not been cultivated for twelve years so we had our work cut out, but we like a challenge.’
The empty greenhouse before the Greengage Project started
credit: Brian Blesse
Wanting to help people grow, as well as plants, Briony contacted the NHS Community Mental Health Team and local doctors’ surgery to spread the word about the project. ‘It wasn’t hard to reach the right people,’ she says. ‘This just shows that there’s a need for initiatives like this. There’s a wide range of issues that people are dealing with every day, such as depression, anxiety, social phobias, PTSD, brain injuries, chronic fatigue syndrome and some more serious and enduring mental health issues. It was important that there was no pressure from day one. Volunteers could turn up for as long as they wanted and work to their abilities in a supportive environment. There’s always something to do, even for those who are less physically able than others. A lot of people just wanted to give their time and support to DWT.’
Briony Baxter outside (possibly) Dorset’s only wall-to-wall carpeted greenhouse
Greengage is an all-inclusive project, supporting people from 18 to 75 from all sorts of social backgrounds. It even benefits those without mental health issues to overcome. One volunteer, Kate, came along to help with the project as she is interested in ecotherapy: ‘I have a background in horticulture and I’m currently studying with a view to working in ecotherapy, so when I heard about the Greengage Project I came along to help and as it turns out, it helps me! It’s a wonderful environment with lovely people and a lot of laughter. It gives me a great sense of wellbeing and positivity just being part of it.’
Not only is there a great deal to be achieved mentally for the volunteers taking part, but there’s a huge practical effort needed, from getting the site ready to continuing the project over each season of the year. Taking us back to the autumn and winter of 2016, Briony describes the transformation of the nursery: ‘We had to clear out the greenhouse and lay an old carpet down as an invasive weed suppressant, and now probably have the only fully carpeted greenhouse in Swanage! As no chemical sprays are used, we also laid black plastic to kill an area of grass to make a vegetable bed. Thanks to Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd, who donated a large amount of organic compost, we were able to convert one of the old cold frames into a raised bed to begin sowing broad beans and over-wintering onions and garlic. As the weather became worse, we retreated into our glasshouse, where we prepared hyacinth bulbs and built bird boxes and bug hotels.’
Cuttings and other plants at Greengage
credit: Brian Blesse
Come spring 2017, it was all systems go, and everyone chipped in to what seemed like a daunting task to get everything planted. Peas and potatoes went in early to get a good start, and sweet peas and other pollinator-friendly flowers were interplanted where possible. Trays of wildflowers were also prepared there for other DWT projects, and any wildflowers discovered growing in the grassy areas were carefully nurtured by mowing around them. Soon the fruits of the Greengage volunteers’ labour appeared, with purple-sprouting broccoli, potatoes, spring cabbage, pumpkins and courgettes, to name just some of the produce grown on the site.
As well as vegetables, another thing that is guaranteed at the Greengage project is laughter. One participant commented that she feels better the moment she comes through the gate and enjoys working there because every few minutes someone is laughing. If laughter really is the best medicine and being outdoors comes a close second, then perhaps we should all prescribe ourselves some time at Greengage?
