大象传媒

Thrive is changing lives using the power of plants and gardens.

At their three centres in London, Birmingham and Reading they offer calm, safe spaces for people with a particular health need to connect with nature and with others through therapeutic gardening sessions. They refer to this practice as Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH). Over their 40+ years as a charity they have seen the huge difference STH makes for so many people.

The ways in which they support people are endless and it all depends on the needs of each individual. They might be supporting someone with dementia to reduce stress by facilitating time in green spaces, helping someone who has just had a stroke realise what they are capable of, or support someone with autism to communicate and build friendships. No matter what someone needs, Thrive can offer life-changing outcomes to everyone.

Thrive鈥檚 impact comes from providing unique safe spaces to engage with nature, time to destress, and a warm welcoming environment to grow in confidence whilst growing life too. Client gardeners who attend Thrive often find themselves feeling like a new person, ready to take on the world again.

Knowing the significant health benefits of gardening, Thrive also provide gardening for health information on their website for everyone no matter their health condition or disability. They also train hundreds of people each year on how to use STH to change lives.

With your support, Thrive can continue their work transforming lives using the power of gardening.

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Mark Lane is a garden designer, author and gardening presenter for 大象传媒 Morning Live, 大象传媒 Gardeners鈥� World and the RHS Flower Shows. He has been an ambassador of Thrive for several years and seen for himself the difference they make to so many people鈥檚 lives.

鈥楪ardening has been a life-saver for me. In 2000, I had a serious car accident and during a lengthy rehabilitation, my mental health suffered badly. Falling in love with gardening turned my life around at such a vital moment.

This kind of turning point is what Thrive provide for so many people. No matter a person鈥檚 circumstances, Thrive connect them with nature, show them their potential and provide a warm, inclusive community.

I鈥檓 proud to be an ambassador of a charity that utilise the health benefits of gardening and share these benefits with so many people.

With your support, Thrive can continue their life-changing work.鈥�

Randal, a structural engineer who worked on everything from skyscrapers to the underground tunnels in London had a huge turning point in his life when he lost his legs due to sepsis.

Randal didn鈥檛 know what to do with himself. He couldn鈥檛 be an engineer anymore and every day felt the same, going up and down the high street, having coffee and going to the shops. He was frustrated with this routine and feeling a lack of purpose.

Randal joined Thrive鈥檚 Sow & Grow programme for people over 50 to improve their mental and physical wellbeing. He made long-term friendships and made meaningful relationships with the staff and volunteers at Thrive. Thrive gave Randal something to look forward to each week, a welcoming community to be part of and the sense of purpose he craved.

Evan is a 19-year-old who attends a community school for young people with autism. Several years ago, the school formed a partnership with Thrive, offering their students the opportunity to come visit their Birmingham site and learn about gardening.

When Evan first joined, he was 14 years old and life was very challenging for him. Experiencing bullying, he didn鈥檛 know how to communicate his feelings and often lashed out physically towards his mother, Victoria.

Gardening at Thrive set Evan on a journey of increasing his self-esteem. He worked closely with Thrive Horticultural Therapist Rachel who showed him just how much he was capable of.

Victoria said this had made a huge impact on their home life, which had previously felt divided. With the confidence Evan has acquired at Thrive, this allows them to go out and do things as a family together.

Rebecca has down syndrome. When she first came to Thrive, she lacked confidence interacting with others.听With gentle encouragement from her Horticultural Therapist Michele, she can now achieve anything she sets her mind to. Learning a new skill and achieving a task is a big boost to her confidence and brings a sense of value.听

With her newfound self-belief, Rebecca cherishes the friendships she has formed at Thrive. She is warm and friendly to everyone and has a positive impact on those around her.听

Rebecca鈥檚 safe place is her plot, a 1 metre squared raised bed where she can grow whatever she likes. When times are tough, it鈥檚 comforting for her to know her plot is there consistently and provides a soothing distraction to what is going on in the world.听听

鈥淭hrive means a lot to me. It's a very special place to be with lovely peaceful surroundings.鈥澨�

Caleb Mallard is the Client Services Manager at Thrive. He is responsible for the quality and delivery of the charity鈥檚 Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) provision across its three centres, Reading, London, and Birmingham. Part of this are the wide range of programmes offered to client gardeners and the benefits these produce.听

Caleb says 鈥淭he part of my role I enjoy the most is the variety; gardens never remain static and neither do people! I love seeing the change that comes about for client gardeners as they grow plants and care for the gardens, in turn they themselves grow in confidence and resilience. STH makes a tangible and demonstrable difference to people and their wellbeing and I鈥檓 proud to play a small part in that.鈥�