A local therapy garden which provides a calming, natural space to support the mental health of young people and adults with learning disabilities, while nurturing local biodiversity and wildlife, has been shortlisted for a Make a Difference Award by BBC Radio Surrey.
The St Ebba’s Therapy Garden is a finalist for the Green Award, which celebrates people or organisations that improve and conserve their local environment. The garden was created and designed by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey County Council in partnership with Natural England and Surrey Wildlife Trust. Other key partners include local businesses and volunteers from a vocational programme for adults with learning disabilities.
Formerly a cricket ground and pavilion, the garden is used by people with complex mental health and/or neurodevelopmental needs who have struggled to engage in therapy at traditional clinical sites. They are supported by therapists trained to deliver nature-based interventions for a wide range of symptoms including anxiety, low mood and trauma.
The garden was designed to nurture biodiversity, with native flora and pollinator plants providing food for bees and butterflies. Other plants, like grasses and scented geraniums provide a sensory experience for people having therapy. The garden is enclosed by a hedgerow of native saplings designed to provide shelter and a source of food and passage between habitats for birds and hedgehogs.
The sensory elements in the space help people to engage with mindfulness activities, including feeling the breeze, hearing the birds and smelling the flowers and plants.
One young person, who accesses therapy at the garden said: “I really enjoy having my sessions in this nice, relaxed environment. The garden is a good place for me to calm down. I feel comfortable being there.”
The parent of another young person who accesses therapy at the garden said: “Our daughter has benefitted from the garden as she loves the outdoors but is unable to go outside at times due to her anxiety. This is a safe place for her to enjoy and it has hugely improved her wellbeing. Enjoying the sunshine with her therapist and being around nature really lifts her mood.
The parent of a young person with autism spectrum disorder who completed a volunteer placement to help build the garden said: “Our son has always struggled at school and was nervous about taking part in the project. After the first day, he came back so proud of what he’d achieved and it was lovely to see him so excited. He has gained confidence and we’re so grateful he had the opportunity to get involved.”