New mental health therapy garden opens in Bury St Edmunds
It's hoped the garden will be a place of recovery and reflection
A new therapy garden's opened up in Suffolk.
The garden, at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust’s Wedgwood House on the West Suffolk Hospital site in Bury St Edmunds, is the result of a two-year £100,000 fundraising project.
It's seen an area of green wasteland transformed into a biodiverse, sensory garden which will be used by patients, staff, carers and vulnerable members of the wider community.
NSFT clinical psychologist Olly Hockley said of the garden: “We want this to be a community space. This isn’t just about a Wedgwood House garden, it’s for all of us.”
Specialist landscape designer Mia Witham talked about the garden’s sensory and therapeutic elements, saying: “Green space is a key aspect of recovery.”
"A place of recovery and reflection"
The garden has been built by Stewart Landscape Construction and planted with more than 2,000 plants by Wedgwood House patients, staff and a team of local volunteers.
Project leader and assistant psychologist Katherine Falk said: “The garden has patient-led design elements at its heart and has been created with the environment and wider community in mind.
“Our mission is to offer a place of recovery and reflection as well as a hub for therapeutic horticultural activities; a safe and welcoming garden where user groups can learn about sustainability in all its forms, from gardening for beginners, growing food, nutrition and healthy living to gardening for wildlife, biodiversity and the environment. Creative workshops including art, crafts and seasonal sessions will also be included.”
Through collaborations with local charities and community groups, the garden will offer vulnerable people in the wider community year-round gardening workshops, with the aim of growing a community, which will help combat isolation and anxiety, increase confidence and promote learning.
“Through referrals and nature-based interventions, the garden will hopefully reduce the rate of hospital admissions,” said Katherine.
NSFT Deputy CEO and Chief People Officer Cath Byford said: “What has been achieved here is incredibly inspiring. Outdoor spaces like this are a key resource for delivering therapies to benefit patients and others struggling with their mental health.
"The team behind it has done an amazing job to raise such a huge amount of money.”