How we use gardening to change lives

How we use gardening to change lives

Thrive is the leading charity in the UK that uses gardening to bring about positive changes in the lives of people who are living with disabilities or ill health, or are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable. This approach is social and therapeutic horticulture (STH). What is social and therapeutic horticulture? It is the process of using plants and gardens to improve a person s physical and mental health, as well as communication and thinking skills. Horticultural therapists use the garden as a safe and secure place to develop someone s ability to socialise, make friends, and learn practical skills that will help them to be more independent. The therapist builds a set of activities for each person who comes to the charity and specific client groups. It s this individual, tailored approach that makes the work we do more than just gardening and leaders in the field of STH. We typically work with 1,400 * client gardeners each year ( * figure varies depending on the programmes we are running)

Loneliness is associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke (Valtorta et al, 2016) There are more than 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK (Stroke Association 2017) There are around 11.9 million disabled people in the UK (Papworth Trust) Our garden programmes can help What s so special about gardening? Gardens are peaceful and restorative. They provide a special place for rehabilitation and recovery. And, being given the opportunity to develop an interest in gardening will give a person benefits that can last a lifetime. The main benefits of an active interest in gardening are: better physical health from exercise and learning how to use or strengthen muscles to increase mobility improved mental health from gaining a sense of purpose and achievement the opportunity to connect with other people, reducing feelings of exclusion or loneliness. Gardeners are friendly people and love involving everyone building confidence and self-esteem. Learning new things and knowing what to do can lead to volunteering, qualifications in horticulture and even employment feeling better for being outdoors, in touch with nature and seeing plants grow all things that are known to be important to us as human beings.

More than good health Improving health and wellbeing are at the heart of therapeutic horticulture and there are many other benefits for people who take up gardening which include developing transferable skills, learning about food growing and what is good to eat, becoming fitter, boosting confidence with new-found knowledge and using this, and possibly a qualification in horticulture, to get a job. We answer 3,000 enquiries by phone and email asking for advice and information each year About Thrive s work We work with a wide range of people... people who have injuries from accidents; people with learning impairment; people with mental ill health; people with physical impairment such as sight or hearing loss; people with age-related conditions such as dementia, heart problems, diabetes or stroke; young people who have social, emotional or behavioural difficulties; and people who have ill health after leaving the armed forces. We work in a variety of ways. We run therapeutic programmes at our regional centres in Reading, London and Birmingham. We also run programmes in care homes, village halls, prisons and other community settings. Our website www.carryongardening.org.uk offers tips and advice on gardening when you have a disability. Thrive has a dedicated information officer who can answer individual queries on the phone or by email about gardening for good health.

Thrive has evidence and more than 40 years experience to show how gardening brings about great changes. To share this knowledge we run training courses throughout the country for anyone interested in using horticulture for health and wellbeing. We also offer a dynamic programme of online training courses in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture. With a blend of free and paid-for content these courses will enable you to build your knowledge base of STH at a pace convenient for you. We offer bespoke training packages to large and small organisations and can assist groups working in any areas of STH from design advice on creating accessible gardens to improving the value of therapeutic services and demonstrating their impact to others. John s story Isolated through mental ill health, John was homeless and living on the streets for two decades before being hospitalised in 1995 with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. After receiving medical help, the former Cambridge student was found accommodation in a hostel by a charity but was struggling to re-adjust to civilian life. He was introduced to Thrive and started gardening with us in Battersea Park. This was the first time in 20 years that I got to experience ordinary human affection in a social group, he said. The horticultural therapist talked to me on an equal level a sense of common humanity which is sometimes missing in the psychiatric system. For John it was an unfamiliar feeling, being trusted to make decisions and work on his own initiative, but with Thrive s support he was able to see the challenge to work on an area in The Herb Garden as an opportunity. John has nothing but praise for the Thrive horticultural therapists: There is much skill involved in the way a horticultural therapist handles the clients. A natural communicator makes it look easy, but I must have been quite a difficult person to deal with.

How you can help and support us DONATE today. Text Thri02 and the amount you want to give to 70070; phone us on 0118 988 5688 or donate online at www.thrive.org.uk VOLUNTEER with us in London, Reading or Birmingham FOLLOW US on social media SIGN UP for our newsletters and mailings For more information contact info@thrive.org.uk or telephone 0118 988 5688. Founded in 1978. Thrive The Geoffrey Udall Centre Beech Hill Reading RG7 2AT T: 0118 988 5688 E: info@thrive.org.uk W: www.thrive.org.uk www.carryongardening.org.uk Thrive 2018 Photographs Thrive Thrive is registered in England and Wales as a charity (number 277570) and limited company (number 1415700).