Mental health charity Growing Well has welcomed the first participants in its new therapeutic horticulture programme at its kitchen garden taking shape at Tebay Services on the M6.
The new community mental health support service for Eden and north Cumbria will provide supported volunteering opportunities to help 100 people a year recover from mental health difficulties, with free minibus transport provided.
Under the supervision of experienced therapeutic growers and mental health support staff, volunteers, who can be referred by GPs and other health services, or can refer themselves, can rebuild confidence, learn new skills, benefit from peer support and be helped to achieve goals such as returning to employment or education.
Before Christmas, all the site infrastructure works at the northbound services site were completed and a volunteer social space and staff office opened.
Five polytunnels and dozens of raised beds will be installed and built over the coming weeks, with the first produce harvested in April.
The new volunteers spent their first day this week planting bulbs around the site and will soon be planting the kitchen garden’s first vegetable seedlings bound for a special propagation polytunnel.
Following this week’s soft launch, a full official opening and celebration is planned for springtime when the site is bursting with its first crops of fresh, seasonal produce.
Growing Well at Tebay Services manager Cate Bentley said: “I’m absolutely delighted that we are now open and have welcomed our first volunteers.
“While work carries on planning and building our polytunnels and raised beds the sunshine this week has meant that we have been able to get out and start planting for the first time. It’s simply wonderful to see.”
Historic milestone for Growing Well
Chief executive Mary Smith said: “Welcoming our first volunteers at Tebay this week marks an historic milestone in our mission to grow Growing Well all over Cumbria so we can help hundreds more people get the mental health support they need and deserve in their own community.
“We have had such great support in Eden already from The Westmorland Family, the National Lottery, the local community, health professionals and other organisations, and I would urge any business or individual who wants to help Growing Well succeed in its mission to get in touch.”
Growing Well has helped hundreds of people in South Lakeland, Furness and North Lancashire since it was formed in 2004 at Low Sizergh Farm, near Kendal.
Start of ambitious expansion plans for Growing Well
The new Tebay site marks the start of an ambitious replication programme to bring its unique service all over Cumbria. A third site is planned for West Cumbria later this year.
Tebay Services owners The Westmorland Family have funded the £150,000 capital cost of creating the kitchen garden, are providing a rent-free site, and buying £40,000 a year of produce from the charity.
The National Lottery Community Fund has granted Growing Well £180,000 over two years but the charity will still need the fundraising support of the local community and businesses to cover all the costs of its specialist service. The project has created four new jobs.
Growing Well has also recruited its first support volunteers, who support the staff working with its beneficiaries, and needs voluntary or paid minibus drivers, and volunteer fundraisers and community ambassadors.
To find out more about referring yourself or someone else to Growing Well at Tebay Services, or getting involved in any way, email refer.tebay@growingwell.co.uk or go to www.growingwell.co.uk/tebay
