By Monika Oliver
I am a Social Prescribing Link worker at Spelthorne Council. I support patients referred to our service by their GP. I help patients to identify their social needs and support them in finding local opportunities to help them lead a healthier lifestyle. I have noticed that there are not many opportunities in Shepperton and Sunbury for clients who are interested in gardening. I have my own allotment, am passionate about gardening and enjoy being in the natural environment.
Therefore I have set up a community allotment with the Shepperton Allotment Association. This project gives an opportunity for social interactions as well as learning and developing hands on basic gardening skills. It is targeted toward those who would not normally have access to grow food, or who face barriers such as mental health issues, isolation and poverty. With an assistance of volun-teers, participants will help maintaining the allot-ment by planting, weeding, watering and harvest-ing. Taking part in the project will help to build confidence, encourage social connections and form friendships. We will grow a variety of vegetable and plants and in the long term it might even en-courage people to consume more of them. We would like to encourage people to cook new dishes with produce or to learn to preserve what they grow. Completing small tasks during weekly ses-sions will give a great sense of accomplishment.
Volunteers and participants will feel pride and ownership of the project when the things that they planted change and grow.
We would like to build connections with local charities and social groups. We are raising the profile of the allotment to attract local business to participate. So far Mullen Property Services Ltd, Burlington Care home and Churchill Retirement Living have funded gardening tools to start the project. We will organise fundraising events to bring the community togeth-er and raise funds for the project
We have formed partnerships with Stanwell and Walton community allotments. We can learn from them and maybe apply for future funding together. We are also planning to run some sessions with RHS Wisley out-reach team.
Working on the allotment will enable our participants to experience the seasons, observe the behaviours of birds, insects and other animals and gain an under-standing of the eco-system. The allotment can play a part in preserving the environment as all manner of wildlife can be found there. Growing a variety of plants and flower can encourage pollinators, provide food for birds and insects as well as con-tributing to the biodiversity. We will try to leave a small part of the plot untouched allowing wildlife to thrive.
Taking part in gardening sessions gives an oppor-tunity to engage in mindful tasks while being sur-rounded by nature. It helps relax and release stress.
We hope that our participants will discover an appreciation of the natural world that will also inspire them to make more environmentally aware choices.
We will also promote the benefits of re-cycling kitchen and allotment waste through composting. We choose to garden organically and avoid ingest-ing chemicals that are likely to be present on shop bought fruit and vegetables.
Do get in touch if you would like to get involved in our project. Email M.Oliver@spelthorne.gov.uk or call 07740 458026.