The project aims to improve the mental health of fathers in the community. The gardening project will connect with fathers to support their emotional health, providing an environment of calmness, tranquillity and safety to raise awareness about mental health, and improving access to mental health services. This will contribute to improved family relationships and build community capacity. It will be the first project of its kind in the area and we hope will become a lifeline for fathers. The men will be involved in the planning and development of the garden project from start to finish. This project aims to redesign and rejuvenate the garden at Dorking Community Hospital. The focus of this garden project is intergenerational and cross-cultural interaction; through talking in a relaxed space, sharing memories and stories; growing food to learn about nature and encouraging conversation about the environment; sharing the food, sharing break times, memories, time and space by bringing children and older people together to create a sense of community.

The projects are part of the NGS Elsie Wagg (Innovation) Scholarship programme which was created by the two charities in 2021. The programme is named after Elsie Wagg, the QNI Council member who had the idea to establish the National Garden Scheme in 1927. The Queen’s Nursing Institute and the National Garden Scheme have announced five new gardens and health projects led by nurses taking place in 2023. If you’re searching for a specific garden make sure you only include the garden name, and if you’re in any doubt of the spelling include the part of the garden name you’re sure of, or perhaps try searching by the town it’s located in and ‘all dates’. The project aims to support people’s mental health and wellbeing and provide the opportunity for early identification of deteriorating patients. The project aims to improve mental health and wellbeing for residents, increasing mobility and dexterity, providing early health promotion messages, good nutrition, hydration and exercise. It also supports the objective of enhancing health in care homes following the Covid Pandemic.

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I anticipate the growth and development within the garden environment will bring excitement and surprise to many. The calm, exhilarating and relaxed atmosphere will encourage socially isolated fathers to meet. We hope that the project will encourage an interest in gardening for fathers and promote inclusivity, to create a sense of belonging and acceptance.” Grow Together – Share Together – Surrey Four care homes are each being provided with five deep planters for the gardening. The funding is being used to build table-top planters, tools, seeds and plants, recyclable waste boxes, education and support for activity coordinators. The National Garden Scheme has a long-established tradition of supporting and training gardeners through donations to a variety of charities over many years and this new partnership builds on that important legacy. We are planning for diversity among those who will use the garden, for example scented and textured plants for people living with dementia or who are visually impaired. Our garden will be wheelchair/walking frame friendly. The vegetable garden will be planted with flowers to promote insect pollination. We intend to choose plants that are resistant to greenfly, mites and slugs rather than relying on pesticides. The production of vegetables and fruit can be shared to all groups involved to help with the cost-of-living crisis and provide people with fresh food.” Botanical Brothers – East London Major new partnership between the National Garden Scheme and English Heritage secures future of Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme

Marble Hill’s Georgian Pleasure Gardens, which stretch from the Palladian Villa to the Thames, are being restored to their former glory and will launch to the public in spring 2022. Features include the Sweetwalk Flower Garden, Arbour, Woodland Walks and Grotto Garden. Visitors can play Ninepin Bowling, a popular Georgian pastime, on a re-created bowling alley, and a newly planted wildlife meadow has enhanced biodiversity and summer interest in the public park. Fawn said: “My memories of gardening are woven from threads of childhood affection, passion and deep pride. My parents were involved in cultivating kitchen and flower gardens, which won prestigious awards. This passion has continued into my adult life and I continue to actively engage in gardening both at home and at my allotment. Community nurses have such great innovative ideas to improve the health and wellbeing of their local communities and individuals. These nurse-led projects all share a vision and are sharing learning and expertise to drive innovation and change for the better.” The 2023 projects ‘Sanctuary’ – A gender-specific safe outside space to be enjoyed – Gloucester We are delighted to be announcing five new gardens and health projects as part of the NGS Elsie Wagg (Innovation) Scholarship programme. Recent evidence has demonstrated the widespread benefits that gardens offer to a wide range of physical and mental health conditions, and from their initial presentations I know that these will be really impactful and rewarding projects. The programme is an increasingly important exemplar of the synergy between our major nursing beneficiaries and our gardens and health programme.”

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Corrie says: “This project will provide a sustainable raised bed vegetable garden that all the practice community can get involved in and provide some sustainable healthy food year on year. We hope to set up a swap and share wellbeing group so that vegetables, fruit, and flowers can be shared amongst the community. The five projects are being delivered alongside other QNI Community Nursing Innovation Projects that are not garden-themed. All this year’s projects will run until early 2024 when they will submit their final reports.

Physiotherapy and health and exercise practitioners will offer activities such as yoga, fitness and mindfulness sessions for both community and inpatients. Service users will have the opportunity to be involved in the design, planting and ongoing maintenance of the garden area, hopefully encouraging a love of gardening which can be carried on after the women have left the facility.” Greener Care Home Project – Staffordshire Nestled in the heart of the Hampshire countryside the gardens in Froyle represent a wide variety of styles in an historic village setting, many with wonderful open views. The village is thought to be named after Freya, the Norse goddess of love, beauty and fertility, and the gardens provide a bountiful smorgasbord of delights for the visitor to enjoy. Join the vicar of Froyle, Reverend Yann Dubreuil for a tour of some of the gardens that open for this delicious group: Simon said: “The garden is about connecting – Growing Together – Sharing Together. The vision is to use the space for patient rehabilitation, bringing them to the outdoors, into a therapeutic space. The garden adjoins the community rehabilitation ward, allows interaction on a different level, in a different space to keep the mind, body and spirit energised for longer. Health benefits include using the space for conversation/health promotion as a space to talk about health and prevention of ill health. The future of the Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme (HBGTP), which allows us to train the next generation of heritage gardeners, has been secured with this substantial commitment from the National Garden Scheme,” says English Heritage’s Head of Gardens and Landscapes, John Watkins.This project seeks to provide a safe space for women with serious mental health illness in Gloucester. The garden will provide an area for women to relax, meet, and for therapy to take place within a designated area that is peaceful and designed with them in mind. Searching by postcode rather than County or Town, that way you can use the distance slider above more effectively Today visitors are able to explore gardens designed by Capability Brown, beautifully restored parterre and organic kitchen gardens. We feel there has never been a more important time to promote gardens and gardening to young people and to encourage them through the training on offer in HBGTP,” adds George Plumptre. The garden will be a space for children, for teaching and education, learning and growing. There is the opportunity for life-long learning – engaging children in social and developmental opportunities. The garden will also be a space for staff to relax and unwind, where they feel they can switch off and recharge their batteries.