Our garden centre team have been working hard during lockdown to create a new and exciting activity for our service users….
They have transformed one of their polytunnels into an indoor allotment, where our service users are enjoying the opportunity to learn more about how to grow fresh food – from seed to plate.
Vocational Skills Instructors at Workbridge Garden Centre are using a combination of no-dig beds, hanging pots, and ring culture (where bottomless pots rest on a bed of stones or hard soil, preventing root diseases and allowing roots access to a large volume of consistently moist soil).
Our service users are starting to harvest the vegetables, which are being used in our catering departments and also sold in our garden centre shop.
Chloe Bliss, one of our talented instructors, has already seen positive outcomes after just a few weeks of sharing this new activity with our service users:
“We are experiencing much better engagement and focus from our service users, and they are now requesting to spend their sessions learning and working in the indoor allotment. Our service users are chatting to each other about the plants, and are asking interesting (and sometimes difficult!) questions. It’s so good to see them fully embracing this new activity.”
The garden centre team are really enjoying teaching our service users new skills, including:
