New Shoots

Want to spend more time in nature, doing meaningful activities in a small group, gently building up your physical activity, boosting your wellbeing and experiencing more mindfulness in the natural world?

New Shoots is a six-week course focused on improving mental wellbeing. Many of those helped by this project have lived experience of common mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. New Shoots has empowers them to take control of their mental wellbeing in a safe and supportive environment. The garden offers a perfect setting for practicing the five ways to wellbeing. Our tutors encourage gardeners to connect, be active, take notice, learn and give. This lays the foundations for self-care and maintained wellbeing in their daily lives. 

At New Shoots, each week focuses on a different aspect of the five steps to mental wellbeing – physical activity, learning new skills, connecting with others, giving, and mindfulness. The course culminates in a visit to a local garden or place of interest chosen by the group.

After the end of the six week course New Shoots participants are offered the opportunity of joining Friday Garden Club if they’re interested and able to carry on community gardening with us on a regular basis (subject to capacity).

For those who can’t make a regular weekday slot, we run a Sunday Garden Club on the second Sunday morning of the month. It’s free to attend but numbers are limited, so we ask that you book your place through our events page.

If you or someone you know would like to join us at New Shoots, please contact us by email or call us on 07887 725962. We aim to start a new course every 8-12 weeks (subject to funding) so if we can’t offer you a place straight away please get in touch anyway and we can add you to our waiting list.

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