Meet John Hall Wellness Garden, our 2023 Service of the Year winner
24/11/2023
-
“[It’s] a place to go when you feel rock bottom. [You] can speak about things that [you] can’t with family. There you can let go.”
- Service User, John Hall Wellness Gardens - Service User, John Hall Wellness Gardens
John Hall Wellness Garden opened in April 2022 after the group lost the tender for their previous service, which involved the garden but it was only utilised for a couple of days a week (nothing compared to the scale it’s used to now).
Since, it’s been all systems go. The community garden is open to all members of the community with an emphasis on helping mental health and wellbeing. The service feels lucky to have the freedom and capacity to support people in this way. The garden has over 30 volunteers who want to give back to the community; they are encouraged to take a lead and choose the direction in which the gardens run and progress. The garden holds plant sales, craft activities, peer support groups, short walking groups and long wellness walking groups. Their aim is to provide a wellbeing service that accommodates all.