Our Stories

When we cleared the patch of scrubland behind the centre last spring, we were not entirely sure what we were doing. None of us would have called ourselves gardeners. What we had was a few donated seed trays, a borrowed spade or two, and a hunch that having something to tend might do people some good.

A year on, the garden has become one of the busiest corners of Seaview.

It started modestly. A raised bed of runner beans, some potatoes, a stubborn row of carrots that never quite came to anything. But something happened around those beds that we had not planned for. People who found sitting in a room and talking difficult found it much easier to open up while their hands were busy. Conversations that might never have happened over a table happened over a watering can.

The garden does not ask anything of you. It does not need you to explain yourself or fill in a form. It just needs weeding, and it rewards you whether you are having a good week or a hard one. For people whose lives have felt chaotic, there is something steadying about work that follows the seasons.

We have grown more than vegetables, though we have grown plenty of those, and the surplus goes straight into the kitchen. We have watched quiet people become the ones showing newcomers how to prick out seedlings. We have seen pride return to faces that had lost it.

This year we are adding a small greenhouse and, if the funding comes through, a proper potting shed. If you fancy getting your hands dirty, whether you need the garden or simply want to help it grow, you would be very welcome. Bring wellies.