Badenoch and Strathspey Therapy Gardens mission statement is to:
‘to provide social and therapeutic horticultural activities in a safe and supportive environment for all members of the community, where everyone will be treated with respect’.
The gardens are situated adjacent to the Am Fasgadh allotments in Kingussie, down beside the site of the former Highland Folk Museum. With support from the Think Health Think Nature, Leader funded events project, they were able to host four open days in the summer of 2021. The aim was to celebrate the good E’s of gardening.
- Environment
- Educate
- Engage
- Eat
- Enjoy
I popped along on the 16th of August to a bustling garden filled with activity. It was a beautiful afternoon and there really was an impressive array of plants and vegetables growing. The local visually impaired group were enjoying sitting in the sensory garden under the shade of a parasol.Volunteers from Caberfeidh Horizons were getting down and dirty weeding and digging.
Ethan Justice and James Caruthers, volunteers from Caberfeidh Horizons
Volunteers Eve Love and Gilly Kinnear hard at work
The gardens are a registered charity and led by project manager Jen Barret. Together we had some interesting discussions about how we can encourage more referrals from the health sector into the initiative. Think Health Think Nature look forward to working with Jen and her team more in the coming months to raise the profile of the initiative and to engage local health practitioners.
Jen Barret, Project Manager
As I left the event, the Community Transport Bus had arrived to help ferry participants back home. The afternoon really was a fantastic example of how community groups can work together to maximise the benefits of green health.
For more information and how to get involved: