A green fingered team of patients volunteers and staff from Trust have brought home gold for the second year, scooping a top prize at Southport Flower Show.
Viewed by thousands of show visitors, the award winning interactive charity garden, themed around wellbeing and social inclusion, secured the highest accolade in the community category.
The successful team – which included service users, horticultural assistants and volunteers - are part of the Grow Your Own (GYO) community project, based in the grounds of secure mental health inpatient hospital, Guild Park in Whittingham, Preston.
It allows those receiving care, staff and community volunteers to grow flowers, fruit and vegetables and get involved in local community events, providing a sense of achievement and self-worth, helping with rehabilitation.
The garden design entitled ‘inside out’ explored wellbeing and social inclusion and gave a real opportunity to talk and engage with thousands of people over the four days of the show.
It was built in just five days by a team of 22 people after months of planning and design.
Project Manager Liz Harrison, who leads the GYO project and the community garden at the show, said:
“In creating and designing a space that brought both inside and outside together, it gave people from all walks of life and ages the opportunity to experience them together.
It’s been amazing to see the garden develop over the last few months, so many people have been involved from nurturing young saplings to recycling and upcycling, ready for the show. The garden was built from donations and recycled furniture and will be reused at GYO to carry on benefiting people’s mental wellbeing
I’m so pleased with everyone’s achievements, the whole journey has helped service users to grow in confidence and has given them something to be proud of. Even Katy Rushworth from ‘Love Your Garden’ popped in to say hello and got her photo taken."
Liz continued:
“Grow Your Own is about nurturing yourself and the environment around you. There is something therapeutic about being outside and at one with nature, and getting that sense of achievement when you successfully get a plant to grow from just a seed. This teaches people how to care for plants and by nurturing those, they are nurturing themselves along their recovery journey.”
A service user who worked on the project added:
“Helping to set everything up was the best day I’ve ever had, I can’t believe what we have achieved and now thousands of people will get to sit in the garden and feel the benefit from it.”
If you have a local business or would like to personally get involved in the community charity GYO project, please email Elizabeth.Harrison@lscft.nhs.uk or call 07976 631443.
