“Through growth in the garden I realise there is hope”
The Calming Garden
At Roots and Shoots we understand and advocate for the restorative power that gardening and nature has on mental health, and we are proud to host the Grounding Project. The Grounding Project is a specialist NHS horticultural therapy programme for refugees and asylum seekers living in the local area, who have experienced trauma.
We provide the Grounding Project with their own green space, the Calming Garden, where people can come together in a safe and healing environment to connect with nature, explore and practise calming techniques and receive support from qualified clinical practitioners.
Read more about the Grounding Project's positive impact on the Guardian.com
In 2024, the Grounding Project collaborated with Roots and Shoots and Butterfly Conservation's Big City Butterflies project to create a metal butterfly sculpture for the Wild Garden.
Over 6 months, the group learnt about butterflies, and then in a series of workshops shaped 50 copper butterflies, spray-painted and coloured them with heat, and tried out blacksmithing. The sculpture was completed by staking each butterfly into the ground, resulting in a beautiful a sculpture celebrating butterflies and migration as a natural act for the Roots and Shoots Wild Garden.
Read more about the project on our blog"Where there is growth, there is life, and the chance to care again for that life.
Even though we may think we have nothing left to add and there is no common language, together we can plant a seed in the garden, pull out a weed, add a spice to a communal meal, share an experience, and be part of something again."
