With the new growing season officially underway and signs of spring everywhere, we’re gearing up for another exciting year across our ever-increasing number of community-growing and therapeutic horticulture projects.
Please keep reading for the full low down on what we’ve been up to and what’s to come from ALIVEgardening this year.
North Bristol Dementia-Friendly Allotment
After a slow start to the new year, sessions are now getting busier, and it’s been great to see many old friends returning to the allotment in recent weeks. We’re planning for the season ahead by sowing early seeds, tidying up around the space and welcoming lots of new volunteers to the allotment.
Our calendars are beginning to fill up with open sessions planned for the Festival of Nature and Get Growing Trail – so watch this space for news about them!
Wellspring Settlement Community Garden
The group have loved our partnership work with Avon Wildlife Trust this season, thanks to which we now have a beautiful wildlife pond and are preparing for a trip to their flagship site, Grow Wilder, to learn from them and buy some native pond plants to complete the habitat.
BRI Sessions
The patients and staff at BRI love their ‘Gardening Club’ on Wednesdays at the hospital. To cope with the cold, we have been working indoors in the beautiful tree-lined glass atrium overlooking the garden, making miniature gardens and lavender bags, planting bulbs, and starting seeds.
The families and staff supporting patients are so grateful and have told us how it is inspiring change across the hospital and in families when patients are discharged – a testament to the healing power of nature!
South Bristol Dementia-Friendly Allotment
We are cracking on with the final bits of work involved to get this beautiful, accessible site ready for launch on March 26th!
On that date, we’ll host an open event to which all are invited. It’ll be an opportunity to see the space we’ve created and to meet the team delivering the free weekly dementia-friendly gardening and green craft sessions.
Join us and help plant the first fruit, vegetables, and flowers on this special new plot. There will be tea, cake and a chance to meet the community of our new South Bristol community growing space.
Hoppiness Project
Lawrence Hill Health Centre
Our green social prescribing sessions at Lawrence Hill Health Centre recently celebrated their first year. These sessions are for in-house referrals from the health centre, usually via their health and wellbeing worker.
It was great to pop in on the anniversary and hear some stories about how impactful the sessions have been for people.