Growing Well is a mental health charity which has been running a service from Sizergh (Kendal) for 20 years and more recently opened a second site at Tebay Services (North). The charity also has a third site serving West Cumbria based in Egremont. People attend and participate in our market gardening activity on one, regular day per week, with therapeutic support from trained staff.
Growing Well is a mental health recovery day service for adults; accepting referrals from GP’s and other health and social care professionals as well as self-referrals. We refer to the people we work with as volunteers (beneficiaries) as they attend of their own volition. We ask for a commitment of one day per week for up to one year. Volunteers using our service may have a formal mental health diagnosis, others may self identify to be struggling with their mental health.
At Growing Well, ACTIVITY IS THE THERAPY. Trained staff work with volunteers to set their own goals for mental health progress and recovery. Our objectives are to cultivate good mental health through gardening and horticultural activities focusing on: building emotional resilience; developing vocational and life skills; supporting healthier, more active living. Volunteers can work at their own pace whilst building skills and self confidence.
Growing Well is an entirely FREE service. Our FREE minibus is available to collect and drop off from various locations across South Cumbria and North Lancashire including Kendal, Windermere, Barrow-in-Furness, Ulverston, Lancaster and Morecambe. We may also be able to help with transport costs if individuals are making their own way to site. We provide use of essential protective clothing including waterproofs and work boots. We also provide a free healthy lunch every day. We eat lunch together to build social connections and community.
No one volunteer's journey through Growing Well will be the same as individual's set the terms for their own recovery; some activities volunteers may be involved in are:
Growing - attendance for a year allows volunteers to follow the growing season from seeding, growing, tending, harvesting, packing and delivering produce at Tebay services.
Horticultural skills development - volunteers record their learning and achievements in individual skills logs.
Peer support - our service provides the opportunity for people to work alongside and support each other, because nobody understands better than someone else experiencing similar feelings.
Goal setting - everyone is encouraged to set a recovery goal. Our therapeutic staff support volunteers to manage their individual progress using the Goals Based Outcomes Framework and the Warwick and Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale.
Life Skills - managing mental health and developing skills for life and work are a key focus.
Our service works with adults (18+) who are experiencing severe to moderate mental health difficulties. Individuals may have a mental health diagnosis and be referred by their GP or other Health and Care Professionals. Individuals who identify as struggling with their mental health can also self-refer.