flourish together
our sensory garden and allotment project
We have opened our fully accessible sensory garden and allotments in Clydebank and are running a large year-round gardening and sustainability project. This project focuses on connecting people with the outdoors, educating them on sustainability, nutrition and upcycling and building confidence and transferable skills.
The individuals involved in the project benefit from access to a purpose built accessible sensory garden and allotment with an ongoing calendar of sessions, events and workshops. People are given ownership and responsibility at the plots, have the opportunity to cultivate, plant and grow their own plants including being able to take these away. Our volunteers help teach all aspects of gardening and horticulture to all age groups and abilities and encourage them to share these skills with new members to the group.
Upcoming workshops include - Build an Insect Hotel, Herbs and How to Use Them, Build your own Window Box, Mindful Gardening, specific repair workshops, Composting, Grow Your Own sessions, Allotment Management, Understanding Plants, Growing Food to Support Wellbeing and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Reinvest.
The benefits
Community
Our Flourish Together project offers a holistic approach to wellbeing. It supports mental, emotional, and physical health while providing opportunities for learning and social interaction in an inclusive, supportive outdoor environment. It is designed to be a wonderful way to engage people and help them build confidence, new abilities, and connections with others.
We currently work with an animal therapy CIC (Patchwork Ponies) who bring ponies to the allotment space to combine the benefits of time with animals to the calming atmosphere of our sensory garden.
The long-term benefits include physical and mental health benefits for participants including stress reduction, increased physical activity and increased connection to nature. It allows us to increase environmental awareness and action through sustainability education waste reduction and biodiversity promotion.
It also leads to increased community building due to the natural social interactions, intergenerational connections and shared pride and collective ownership of the space.
More long-term benefits are skills development through gardening knowledge and practical skills, increased sustainability skills and building on people’s creative and practical problem-solving abilities.
so much potential
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Practical training and learning
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Positive outdoor experiences
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Nutritional Education
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Rewarding work experience
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Improved physical and mental wellbeing
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Collaboration and Teamwork
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Improved confidence
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Skills development in upcycling, sustainable practices and horticulture
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Learn ‘Job-ready’ skills
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Deeper connections with nature
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Stronger community connections
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We have been able to create these spaces thanks the generous support of the Corra Foundation and the Henry Duncan Grant for which we will be forever grateful. The ongoing Flourish Together project for the coming year has been funded thanks to the Glasgow Flightpath Fund.