A MENTAL health charity has welcomed the first participants in its therapeutic horticulture programme at its new kitchen garden.
Growing Well has achieved a major ambition with the opening this week of its second Cumbrian site 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.
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.”
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.”
READ MORE: Eden driver and passenger were transporting £65k of 'suspicious' cash
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here