Hart's Green Garden

Hart Voluntary Action is working in partnership with Hart District Council and other local organisations to develop and establish a community garden in Fleet with a strong supporter and diverse user base.

Hart Voluntary Action will be running ‘Minding the Garden’  at Hart's Green Garden and propose to establish a partnership with the Fleet Primary Care Network (PCN) via the Social Prescribing Link Worker as well as other local organisations to engage patients and local people in the project and the workshops we plan to run.

After a long wait we have now been given access to the community garden site to start preparing for community engagement in the New Year of 2022!  It has been a journey – made much longer due to the challenges brought about by COVID but we are so grateful for the Innovation Funding and the patience of all involved to be able to get to this point.

Whilst we have been waiting we have not stood still though. We have done a lot of work to promote the garden and engage with the community including

  • A guided walk led by a Countryside Ranger
  • Two information events at the local library
  • Teams presentations to those who can refer in i.e. Hampshire County Council, the Frimley Clinical Commissioning Group, Hart District Council, Social Prescribers and Wellbeing centres
  • Held information meetings in the community garden car park (weather permitting)  
  • We were part of The Great Big Green Week and ran an event planting seeds, onions sets and broad beans.
  • And run Christmas Wreath Workshops

We were please d to be featured alongside our partners Men's Sheds in the Frimley Clinical Commissioning Groups 2021 Annual General Meeting Video HERE we are the first project featured.

Since early 2021 we have come so far! The images below show an idea of what our garden might look like but you can see our most up to date progress and events coming up on our social pages of Instagram Facebook and Twitter   

We would love to make links with organisations and individuals, who would be interested in making use of the Community Garden for wellbeing activities or who have ideas for wellbeing activities and events that the garden could host.

The Minding the Garden Project will focus on bringing members of the local community together to get involved in communal horticultural activities and to enjoy the open space with others in a supportive environment.  The opportunity to be part of volunteer teams carrying out conservation sessions within the wider Country Park is also being explored.

The focus will be on reaching out to people who are socially isolated, or who have ongoing health conditions/disabilities, or who are at risk of homelessness, as well as those who would like to be involved as general volunteers.   Working with Fleet PCN, Hart Voluntary Action would create a specific horticultural and therapeutic session or sessions for their patients signposted/referred through the Social Prescribing Link Worker.

Although Community Gardens are not a new idea there is no other community garden project, nor is there any outdoor therapeutic activity which is open to all to access in Hart. During the pandemic, access to outdoor space has been particularly valued by many people.  A residents’ survey carried out by Hart District Council showed that many local residents had made more use of local green spaces than usual to help with their wellbeing.  Our previous experience with the Minding the Garden project 9which was originally set up to reach adults with mental health issues) was that we also received requests to join from adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities/difficulties or other health conditions including dementia and brain injury.  We also found that many volunteer helpers were motivated to join because they too wanted to feel more socially connected and to take part in an activity which helped their own wellbeing. 

We have started to take referrals and applications and begun to meet potential participants. We are receiving some additional funding from Hart District Council to include supporting the Extremely Vulnerable individuals.

We hope this can become a long lasting project for all to enjoy. Hart's Green Garden is a flagship project for Hart District Council and Hart Voluntary Action is being offered access on a flexible lease basis of 10 years in the first instance at a peppercorn rent. 

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