Innovation Fund grant supporting the Horticultural Therapy Trust’s nature therapy
The Devon Mental Health Alliance Innovation Fund has been awarded to the Horticultural Therapy Trust by our Community Mental Health Development Leads in Plymouth & West Devon.
The Horticultural Therapy Trust (HTT) is a grassroots (literally!) charity which offers nature-based therapy sessions within gardens at the Penlee Valley Allotment in Plymouth. The sessions help to facilitate improved mental health and holistic wellbeing amongst participants who experience severe and often long-term mental ill health, as well as physical ill health.
We’ve agreed to provide HTT with a grant from our Innovation Fund for small local organisations, which will help them to deliver more sessions to support a wider range of people in the coming weeks and months. Specifically, the group’s upcoming sessions will focus on the use of soil and water to grow high-quality ingredients for sharing with the community.
Deb Hoskin, HTT Project Manager and qualified counsellor, explained in her application to the Fund:
“Participants, volunteers, and staff are finding that the wealth of additional life experience and varied culture [provided by HTT] adds to the benefits of groups daily as a whole. This learning together is then helpfully shared individually with wider communities in Plymouth and surrounding areas, providing opportunities for wider community cohesion.
This project will benefit at least 30 people from varied backgrounds, needs, and abilities. We will learn together about soil and water, and grow better foods to take home and share with the wider community through Provide Plymouth. This adds to self-worth, purpose, being part of a solution, and sense of community.”
A painting by Mark Melhuish, one of HTT’s regular participants
Speaking after receiving the grant, Deb added:
“Funding always means we can offer more hours outdoors in a natural and empathic, non-judgemental, safe social space, in which everyone can share more ideas, experiences, and opportunities, all of which support improved mental health and holistic wellbeing. Although HTT always take care of soil and water, there is always more to learn and better changes to make for the better of all. This funding will help facilitate learning more about care of soil and water.”
If you work for a VCSE organisation in any area of Devon that is working towards delivering innovative support to people experiencing severe mental illness, why not apply for an award from our Innovation Fund? Grants of up to £800 are available.