The Church in Wales
News Release
January 25 2021
Garden wins £93,000 grant to combat pandemic’s mental health impact
News Release
January 25 2021
Garden wins £93,000 grant to combat pandemic’s mental health impact
Garden assistants examining the honeycomb at the hives
People suffering the debilitating effects of social isolation due to the Covid19 pandemic will be encouraged to join a community garden project, thanks to a £93,000 Lottery grant.
St Peter’s Community Garden, an acre of church land in the Cardiff suburb of Fairwater, is creating a therapeutic centre to support people suffering from social isolation or exclusion, post-pandemic. The “social prescribing” project aims to provide a caring, supportive environment, where people can enjoy the benefits of gardening and social activities.
The grant from the National Lottery Community Fund will pay for two part-time staff for the project over the next three years.
The idea for the project came when the management team saw how the closure of the garden and adjoining hall during lockdown had badly affected those who had benefitted from therapeutic activity in the garden and the range of social events at the hall. Researching loneliness and social isolation, they discovered that they had similar risks to mortality as cigarette smoking.
“Plainly, the restrictions of the pandemic have had a negative impact on mental and physical health for many,” says Fr Colin Sutton, vicar of St Peter’s Church and chair of the Community Hall and Garden management team.
“This grant means we can now build capacity so that our project can expand opportunities to alleviate social isolation and the negative effects on mental health. It will enable our volunteers to re-activate and extend the resources of St. Peter’s Community Hall and Garden to address the negative social impact of the pandemic.”
The project will build on the community work already underway at the garden, which has been transformed over the past 12 years from a piece of scrub land around St Peter’s Church, to a green oasis for the whole community. It has won several environmental awards, including the Green Flag and the Silver Eco Church award from the A Rocha organization. It includes a pond, beehives, vegetable plots, a quiet garden and also a Welsh heritage orchard with a plum tree planted by HRH The Princess Royal. The garden is looked after by an army of volunteers, as well as children from the neighbouring Fairwater Primary School, people with learning disabilities and young offenders and former prisoners.
“We hope this project will get more people into the garden to enjoy it. We want it to be available for some of the most isolated and vulnerable people in our community, showing them that they really matter and can contribute and have a sense of fulfilment. We have already seen people move from total isolation to full social involvement and know there will be many more who will need to make this journey post pandemic.”
You can see more photos at: http://www.stpeterschurchfairwater.org.uk/photos.html
St Peter’s Community Garden, an acre of church land in the Cardiff suburb of Fairwater, is creating a therapeutic centre to support people suffering from social isolation or exclusion, post-pandemic. The “social prescribing” project aims to provide a caring, supportive environment, where people can enjoy the benefits of gardening and social activities.
The grant from the National Lottery Community Fund will pay for two part-time staff for the project over the next three years.
The idea for the project came when the management team saw how the closure of the garden and adjoining hall during lockdown had badly affected those who had benefitted from therapeutic activity in the garden and the range of social events at the hall. Researching loneliness and social isolation, they discovered that they had similar risks to mortality as cigarette smoking.
“Plainly, the restrictions of the pandemic have had a negative impact on mental and physical health for many,” says Fr Colin Sutton, vicar of St Peter’s Church and chair of the Community Hall and Garden management team.
“This grant means we can now build capacity so that our project can expand opportunities to alleviate social isolation and the negative effects on mental health. It will enable our volunteers to re-activate and extend the resources of St. Peter’s Community Hall and Garden to address the negative social impact of the pandemic.”
The project will build on the community work already underway at the garden, which has been transformed over the past 12 years from a piece of scrub land around St Peter’s Church, to a green oasis for the whole community. It has won several environmental awards, including the Green Flag and the Silver Eco Church award from the A Rocha organization. It includes a pond, beehives, vegetable plots, a quiet garden and also a Welsh heritage orchard with a plum tree planted by HRH The Princess Royal. The garden is looked after by an army of volunteers, as well as children from the neighbouring Fairwater Primary School, people with learning disabilities and young offenders and former prisoners.
“We hope this project will get more people into the garden to enjoy it. We want it to be available for some of the most isolated and vulnerable people in our community, showing them that they really matter and can contribute and have a sense of fulfilment. We have already seen people move from total isolation to full social involvement and know there will be many more who will need to make this journey post pandemic.”
You can see more photos at: http://www.stpeterschurchfairwater.org.uk/photos.html
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CELEBRATING IN CHURCH
Government Regulations allow us to open the church for the Eucharist and for Funerals and Marriage celebrations. Given the space we have in our special arrangements, we can invite between 20 and 23 people at any one service. The arrangements for the 8am Eucharist on Sunday and 10.15am Eucharist on Wednesday: please just come without any invitation. For the Saturday Young Families’ Eucharist and the 10am Eucharist on Sunday, we are contacting parishioners so that everyone can come as often as possible and yet making sure that everyone has the opportunity to come to a Eucharist. Please abide by the regulations - sanitise hands on entrance and exit and wear a face mask, except when receiving Communion. There are always spare face masks in the porch. None of us like these precautions but they help to keep us safe and enable us to be together in church. |
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Hall & Gardens
The Hall has had to remain closed after Christmas due to the Tier 4 restrictions. The Gardens will reopen for a few volunteers to continue working, but they will not be open to the public |
You will find the Sunday Gospel and sometimes a reflection on Worship page.
See This Week for recent news.
Also the requests we have received for Prayer through the week.
The photos of the Church-Garden and Hall change frequently, especially as late Summer now goes into early Autumn. Take a look at the Photos page.
See This Week for recent news.
Also the requests we have received for Prayer through the week.
The photos of the Church-Garden and Hall change frequently, especially as late Summer now goes into early Autumn. Take a look at the Photos page.
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For all Parish Matters contact -
Parish enquiries: stpeterschurchfairwater@gmail.com Or telephone one of the Churchwardens: Kate Puzey 029 20568766 Jayne Young 029 20345187 Gardens Website: www.stpeterscommunitygarden.org.uk Hall enquiries: stpeterscommunityhall1@gmail.com Or telephone 029 2056 5550 and leave a message. Hall & Church Whatsapp Group: To join, text your name and St Peter’s Whatsapp to Mark on 07791 275 868 |
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