Category Archives: Uncategorised

It all begins with some blooming good ideas! For many of us the rapidly changing pandemic landscape has unsurprisingly led to increased anxiety. Daily routines can change at very short notice as the Government introduces new restrictions with no timescales for things getting back to normal. For Chris, and other people living with autism, theseContinue reading “How can therapeutic gardening help during the pandemic?”

We love reusing wood to create new growing containers so when Chris chose to build a planter for this Garden to Wellbeing activity session we were delighted. Handmade from reclaimed pallets, Chris measured, sanded and hammered his way to producing this beautiful oak planter and he’s proud as punch. Building the planter enabled Chris toContinue reading “Perfect pallet planter”

A new luxury hotel with ‘all the creature comforts’ has opened up to quite a fanfare. The three story Travel Bug Lodge includes a penthouse suite and pine cone, stick and sunflower themed rooms. Constructed from dismantled pallet boxes, natural materials and a creative vision, several spiders have already been seen moving in. Garden toContinue reading “New bug hotel opens to guests”

I’d like to introduce you to our new Garden to Wellbeing Champion, Chris. 23 year old Chris loves the outdoors and spends as much time as he can in and around nature. As someone who lives with autism he finds some settings overwhelming, so gardens provide a quiet, restorative space where he can relax andContinue reading “Meet our new Garden to Wellbeing Champion”

I was interviewed by Naomi Kent on BBC Radio Leicester to talk about the mental health benefits of gardening, the challenges of lockdown and what inspired me to start my own social enterprise Garden to Wellbeing. You can listen to it here:

We’re really pleased to announce that Hozelock are supporting Garden to Wellbeing to help us achieve our goal of improving people’s health and wellbeing through social and therapeutic horticulture. They have donated a range of gardening products and we’re very grateful for their support.

Today I donated my homegrown veg to The Hope Centre in Derby whose services support people in crisis, including young people, the elderly, low income families, children, single parents, refugees and asylum seekers. The veg will feed families hardest hit by the pandemic. As World Wellbeing Week comes to an end, it’s important to make sureContinue reading “Donating for hope”

Gardening doesn’t need to be complicated and it’s easy to get carried away buying tools and gadgets that we don’t really need. But it’s not about creating a picture perfect garden. It’s about getting muddy and having a go – seeing if stuff grows. The current pandemic has certainly encouraged me to get my thinkingContinue reading “Just give it a go”

This is my very first post for my new venture – Garden to Wellbeing. I came up with the idea after training to be a social and therapeutic horticulture practitioner and thought it would be brilliant to help organisations set up therapeutic gardening programmes within their own grounds. Maybe you’re a company with a bitContinue reading “Hello and welcome!”