Despite this summer’s disappointing weather and slug apocalypse, the time seems to have sped past. We’ve somehow adapted, and all our growing spaces have been productive, lush oases of green and therapeutic wonderfulness!
Read on for some of the summer’s highlights.
North Bristol Dementia-friendly Allotment
Our Charlton Road allotment sessions continue to have a hugely positive impact on participants as we welcome new and old attendees alike. This year, that included some lovely intergenerational sessions with kids from Love Squared.
We’ve grown lots of veg this year and have enjoyed sharing our surplus crops with food clubs and similar organisations across Bristol.
We’re also looking forward to getting some work done on the site soon to improve its user-friendliness.
Wellspring Settlement Community Garden
We have continued to grow, harvest and share produce at our central Bristol community garden and are enjoying working with the Wellspring Settlement’s new Older Peoples’ Engagement Worker.
We hosted a fantastic intergenerational feast BBQ and look forward to a series of foraging workshops and intergenerational apple pressings with the local community as autumn makes its presence felt.
BRI Sessions
We celebrated our first anniversary on September 18th! We have enjoyed working with the wonderful patients and staff at the BRI and are excited that we’ll be able to carry on doing so, thanks to continued funding from the Hospitals Charity Trust.
We have also been invited to speak about the therapeutic benefits of engaging with nature in an acute dementia setting at the upcoming UK Dementia Congress.
South Bristol Dementia-friendly Allotment
The summer has been full of produce, colour and connection at our South Bristol dementia-friendly allotment. We have grown and harvested some incredible vegetables and made creative artwork.
We were also invited to open the Talbot Road Allotment show and welcomed local MP Kerry McCarthy and Cllr Ellie King to the site.
One participant said, “This is what it’s all about: listening to birdsong and eating bits of onion. Suddenly, life makes sense”.
Hoppiness Project
We’re nearing the end of the second year of the Hoppiness Project now. Last week, we harvested hops together across all three care homes. The beer was made on Monday this week and has now been left wracked to finish fermentation. We can’t wait to bring some back into the care homes and sample it together over a good old-fashioned sing song and general knees up!
The project has captured people’s imagination—not least the press! We’re looking forward to sharing more about it soon!
Health Centre Provision
Sessions at Lawrence Hill Health Centre are now well into their second year, and they continue to transform the GP surgery garden into a vibrant wildlife haven full of ponds and various habitats, as well as a growing space with enough fruit and vegetables to share with patients from the waiting room.
This summer, we also ran a short course of sessions at Southmead and Henbury Family Practice Gardens for older patients from Mendip Vale Group. They enjoyed growing vegetables and flowers, engaging in green craft activities, and socialising in their accessible garden.