Starbucks Teddington High Street

We are going to transform an unused piece of a land in to a community garden for disabled children, adults and people with long term health and mental health issues to work together to grow flowers, fruit and vegetables. We are creating a new access point, a wheelchair friendly path and raised beds for easy access for wheelchair users. The fruit and vegetables grown will be shared by the volunteers and clients who work on the garden and any surplus will be made available to the local community. This space is currently overgrown and has been laid to waste. We are creating an inclusive public space where local people from different background and abilities can come together and grow together. Across our services we have found significant demand for access to gardening. 1) Our mental health support group would like to take up gardening as a long term activity through which they can learn new skills, make a commitment working on the allotment at least once a month, and enjoy a sense of achievement. 2) The disabled children we support enjoy getting out and about with their befrienders and doing a variety of activities they don't normally get the chance to take part in. Many of the children, their parents and the befrienders are very keen on adding gardening to the mix of activities they can enjoy together, again learning new skills and enjoying watching their work come to fruition. 3) Many of the elderly and isolated people we support have knowledge about gardening but, due to their health, mobility needs or living arrangements are no longer able to garden independently. We are keen to enable these people to keep gardening and share their knowledge with others. This will have a positive effect on their health, confidence and self-esteem. In summary, the project will: • Create an inclusive, accessible and attractive space out of a piece of overgrown land • Give a sense of purpose and achievement to a variety of vulnerable local groups • Equip local children and adults with a new set of skills This will result in healthy produce which will be shared between local people, with benefits for both health and wellbeing and money saving.