Blooming marvellous – growing success for mental health project
Mental health charity Rethink is celebrating the growing success of its Well-Being Allotment scheme with a grand opening of its fifth site on the 21st February in Wells, Somerset at 2.30pm.
The South-West based gardening project has gained local celeb and organic gardening champion Charles Dowding as patron. Charles will be attending the opening and running his expert eye over the project as well as offering advice and pulling on his wellies to lend a hand. The mayor of Wells will also be attending.
Kris Scotting, Rethink’s project manager, said: “We are delighted to have Charles Dowding opening the Wells site. His ethos of healthy eating and growing healthy, fresh produce is exactly what we are doing with the Well-Being Allotments. The aim is to get people with mental health problems to improve their mental and physical health by getting outside and growing their own fruit and veg.”
Charles Dowding added: “I am very excited by what the Well-being Allotment is doing. I have always believed that organic gardening is a way to better health all round and the more people that can be encouraged to give it a go the better. I’m looking forward to being invited back for a feast of seasonal recipes.”
The Well-Being Allotment is sited at Keward House, 2 Jocelyn Drive, Wells, Somerset, BA5 1QHFor more information contact;
Vicky Trimikliniotis, media officer:
tel 020 7330 9149,
e-mail Vicky Trimikliniotis
Notes to editors
About Rethink
Rethink, the leading national mental health membership charity, works to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life. We aim to provide hope and empowerment through effective services and support to all those who need us and campaign for change through greater awareness and understanding.
For further information on the charity and its work, visit: www.rethink.org or call 0845 456 0455
- Rethink Chief Executive, Paul Jenkins will be attending the ribbon cutting which is at 3.00pm
- Other sites of the Well-being Allotment are in Salisbury, Dorchester, Warminster and Bridport.
- Rethink’s Well-being Allotment project will focus on people with severe mental health problems, providing gardening space, allotments and advice on growing and cooking fruit and vegetables.
- Produce will also be sold at local farmers markets in Taunton and Wiltshire and the Oasis Kiosk in The Borough Gardens, Dorchester. Any profits will be put back into the scheme.
- A consultant will be visiting each site once a week to provide horticultural guidance and, crucially, advice on running a small holding.
- All clients will have the opportunity to study a NVQ level 2 in horticulture and therapeutic support will be provided by Rethink staff.
The Mental Health Shop is an online resource for mental health publications, leaflets, booklets, videos, DVDs and more. Jointly founded in 2006 by Mental Health Media and Rethink, the Mental Health Shop is funded with the kind support of the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales. Visit www.mentalhealthshop.org
