Award-winning Faversham community garden helps locals with mental health and loneliness

They've been operating for over thirty years. Kristin Hawthorne reports

Transcript

00:00Gardening isn't just a hobby but a proven way to boost both your physical and mental health.

00:05From getting a dose of vitamin D in exercise to enjoying fresh air and finding a moment of peace

00:10the benefits are as varied as the plants themselves. The Abbey Physic Garden has been

00:15open for over 30 years now and throughout that time it's been able to help people with exercise

00:19mental health and well-being all through the act of gardening. I'm going to have a go at planting

00:24what is this sweet corn? Sweet corn? I really like it here I enjoy gardening and talking to different

00:32people it's really helped me with my confidence to learn to talk to different people each week.

00:37But what if you don't have your own green space? Well that's where community gardens like this one

00:41in Faversham come in. So we'll grow here we'll cook food we have singing we have tai chi we have yoga

00:50all outside it's it's a space outdoor and gardening is is a hobby that just keeps giving. Nothing bad

01:00about being in a garden or part of a garden or setting a garden up it's just a win-win-win all

01:07all through and it's just incredible what can happen on a little bit of space it doesn't have to be good.

01:14One worker here is currently on placement as part of her occupational therapy degree

01:18she says gardening offers a wide range of holistic benefits. I think for a lot of people the thought

01:23of well definitely for me the thought of going to the gym and doing something sweaty and hard work

01:29and difficult is really intimidating but actually when you're focused and you're engaged in growing

01:36something and nurturing something you're not realizing all the steps you're doing all the all the different

01:42bending and lifting that you're doing and so it is it's passive in one way but it's actually really

01:47effective good mobilization and you're using all of those balance skills all the time and i think

01:53it's just yeah it's a kind of whole it's a holistic like wellness experience i would say. The organization

02:00itself has received numerous awards for its work including the prestigious king's award for voluntary

02:05service last year. It has so many roles in the community supporting people with mental health issues

02:12massively getting in contact with nature having time for yourself making connections i suppose with

02:19nature and with people as well. In today's world places like Abbey Physic are vital to communities as

02:25it provides a place of comfort and solitude. So whether you're planting tomatoes flowers or just cutting the

02:31grass at home or as part of a community gardening might just be the breath of fresh air you need this summer.

02:37Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Favisham