In our project, we support clients facing all sorts of challenges, whether that be dementia, poor mental health, being a carer or having learning disabilities.

Unlike many gardening projects which have large and have ambitious outcomes, for many clients involved with Link to Nature, sometimes the desired outcome is that they have kept alive and nurtured a plant for the first time in a long while, or perhaps ever. It can be a small but very impactful change for them.

One of our volunteers, Becky, has been supporting two Link Friends in this project. The first Link Friend, Celia, is a full-time carer for her husband, who has dementia. Celia is not able to leave the house very easily and so her garden is truly her sanctuary, where she can take some time out from the stress of her responsibilities while enjoying the companionship involved in doing some planting with her volunteer.

The second Link Friend, Jean, was supported by Becky until Jean’s dementia advanced to the point that she moved into a care home. ‘J’ rarely moved from her chair and the only way Becky managed to coax her to move was when she took the sunflower seeds and a pot of compost to her house, explaining that she wouldn’t want compost on her lounge carpet!

Jean looked after the sunflower with the help of her carers, who had instructions from her to keep it watered and once it was planted outside she would go out there with Becky to look at it and also to enjoy the scent of a lavender plant that was also provided as part of the project.

We deliberately scaled down the activities for Jean so that they were manageable, but the benefits of her being involved were very noticeable.

*Names changed to protect anonymity