Gardening & Health

Overview

The health benefits of gardening are well recognised. Gardening can have a positive impact on physical, mental and emotional well-being and is useful in helping people with special needs, or the elderly and infirm, as well as those who have mental health problems, or who are recovering from physical illness.

Gardening provides a work out for the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and can improve strength, endurance and flexibility, helping to prevent problems such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.
In addition, physical exercise releases endorphins, which help to alleviate stress and its negative results. Studies have shown that simply spending time in a garden can help lower blood pressure. Gardening can also stimulate the appetite and foster a good night's sleep.

Beyond the physical, there are many other health benefits to gardening:

• Gardening can also help with the development of social and intellectual skills, including those needed for social inclusion or rehabilitation.
• A garden can provide an oasis of calm and somewhere peaceful to escape to, helping restore a sense of balance and wellbeing.
• A healthier diet is also generally a by-product of gardening - if you put the effort into growing fruit, herbs and vegetables you are more likely to reap the rewards and eat them.

Gardening projects aimed at improving health usually support a specific client group and can be located in a variety of settings including community gardens, hospitals, prisons and recovery units.

Emerging Trend

There are a small but growing number of projects, specifically supported by the health sector, that are designed to bring patients and the local community together, often with NHS land being given over to the project to use as a growing space
Though each of these projects were developed independently, they have important core aspects in common, as they:

• improve health
• involve communities
• are inclusive
• are collaborative
• make better use of land.

The potential for further health sector involvement in developing community gardening is huge. Some health organisations have land that is derelict or underused; while others have gardens - perhaps already used for rehabilitation of patients - which hospitals are increasingly finding it difficult to maintain for occasional patient use.

Developing such sites with community input opens up funding opportunities that normal NHS projects would not be eligible for, such as grants for wildlife and biodiversity, volunteering and community development.

Case Study
This project aims to use up to 15 acres of land belonging to the Royal Edinburgh Hospital - owned by NHS Lothian - to grow good food, companionship, health and well-being. Key elements are the promotion of mental and physical health, and building inclusive communities. The project give scope for patient and NHS staff involvement alongside community involvement, with emphasis on creating opportunities for people who might otherwise face barriers in being involved in such activities.

The  project, which has backing by the Scottish Government, is managed by the Cyrenians charity, with FCFCG involved on the steering group. If successful, there are genuine hopes that the idea will be replicated with other health boards in Scotland. Meanwhile, as a result of the work at Royal Edinburgh Hospital the Scottish Government has agreed to develop a standard legal template for use by public sector landlords and community tenants.

Download a case study using the following link:  NHS Lothian Case Study

Other Examples

Stapleford Dig-in
Stapleford Dig-In is a community allotment project, supported by Nottinghamshire County Teaching Primary Care Trust, which aims to help local people enjoy their environment, build their physical and mental well-being and develop their gardening skills.

The project is managed by a voluntary management committee of local people and supported by different local agencies and partners. The PCT also employs a health improvement practitioner whose role includes supporting the development of the allotment project.

There are about 50 regular users of the site - a combination of individual volunteers and groups, for example, young teenagers who have had difficulty in school, young offenders, and a mental health group.
The project runs two work days per week, plus ad hoc cook-in sessions and workshops and regular events on site. The cook-in sessions are very popular and are attended by an NHS nutritionist.

Howard Street Community Health Centre Garden
Howard Street Community Health Centre (CHC) has developed an area of unused land to create a football-pitch sized community garden. The gaden, used by patients, community groups and local residents, is the result of a partnership with the East Lancashire Primary Care Trust and Age Concern Lancashire.

The project is open 24 hours a day and is used by groups of children with challenging behaviour, people with learning disabilities, patients with mental health issues, older people, a group of carers, and local residents. There are also horticulture training courses open to the general public and the garden does outreach work with schools and community groups.

The project is in an area of high deprivation and started when Age Concern Lancashire approached the CHC. Together they were successful in bidding for one year of funding from the Department of Health to get as many local people involved in gardening as possible. They are now funded until March 2011 through The Big Lottery Target: Wellbeing fund, in partnership with Groundwork Pennine Lancashire’s Offshoots Project - and this is match funded by the PCT.

More Information

Thrive
Charity that uses gardening to change the lives of disabled people - through research, training, information and support. Thrive supports 900 garden projects in England and Ireland and can put you in touch with projects in your local area. They also offer a range of courses about horticultural therapy.
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Tel: 0118 988 5688

Trellis
Scottish charity that supports, promotes, and develops the use of horticulture to improve health, well-being and life opportunities. Their website includes an on-line directory of horticultural therapy projects in Scotland, factsheets about horticultural therapy and sources of funding.
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Tel: 01738 624348

The Sensory Trust
The Sensory Trust promotes inclusive design and management of outdoor space. Their website includes information and examples of good practice in creating accessible spaces.
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Tel: 01726 222900

Publications & Research

Growing Together - Social and therapeutic horticulture for vulnerable adults (2005)
This report describes a three-year research project promoting social inclusion, health and well-being for vulnerable adults through the use of horticulture and gardening. The research was undertaken by the Centre for Child and Family Research (CCFR) at Loughborough University. As part of the study, a literature review was carried out. See the website for more details.

Gardening as a therapeutic intervention in mental health, (2008)
Page, M. (11 November 2008) Nursing Times; 104: 45, 28–30
An article in Nursing Times describes why one low-secure unit chose to initiate a horticultural therapy project and organise it as a ‘workers’ cooperative’. The therapeutic benefits of gardening are explored, particularly focusing on the social benefits. The article also discusses the issue of hope, which is an intrinsic requirement in gardening.

Ecotherapy - the green agenda for mental health (2007)
Being outdoors and being active is proven to benefit our mental health. In this report Mind calls for a new green agenda for mental health, following growing evidence in support of an accessible, cost-effective and natural addition to existing treatment options - ecotherapy.