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You are here: Home > News > Mental Health Goes Green With Lottery Funding

• Mental health goes green with lottery funding

• Date:

  15th April 2008

• Contact:

  Sarah Egerton

• Organisation:

  The Civic Trust

Mental Health charity Mind has been granted £7.5m to run the Ecominds scheme, part of the BIG Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces grant programme.

The scheme will support environmental projects that improve the mental health and well-being of people with direct experience of mental distress. With an estimated one-in-four people experiencing a mental health problem at some time in their lives, Mind hopes that a significant number of people will benefit from funding through their Ecominds scheme.

A local Mind association scheme in Solihull is already proving just how beneficial eco-projects can be. Almost 14 years ago the association took on a derelict site and have transformed it into a beautiful, tranquil space for horticulture and recreation projects. GPs routinely recommend the Solihull Mind project to people experiencing mental distress.

Julie Bennett, Horticulture Project Coordinator in Solihull, said: “People work very hard on the site. Digging, lifting, planting and pruning are all great exercise, but people don’t think about it as exercise. Here, you can spend half an hour digging potatoes - you get the exercise and you also come away with some lovely organic vegetables. It’s certainly not as intimidating as a gym.

“The wildflower meadow, for example, takes a surprising amount of maintenance, and people spend hours tending to it. But because they’re in the fresh air, and chatting and laughing with people, and listening to the radio, it feels like nothing.”

The project’s vegetable plots provide fresh, organic food for service users and for meals at Solihull Mind’s day service. Neighbours buy the rest - just part of the project’s engagement with its community. The project provides an excellent opportunity for service users to get work experience, break down barriers, and see how their efforts are appreciated.