Support our Community Pets @ Growing Together

Aim

Help us look after our guinea pigs, chickens & wildlife @ Growing Together Westcliff and Shoeburyness. Comic Relief will matchfund every £1

Help Fund our Community Pets @ Growing Together

For every pound that you donate, Comic Relief will also pay a pound up to £2,500, so your donation will go much further!

Why our community pets are so important!

We have four guinea pigs at Growing Together Shoeburyness and six chickens at Growing Together Westcliff. Please help us look after these valuable community pets and to care for the wildlife that comes into our gardens.

'Stroking the guinea pigs really helps my anxiety'  

'Watching the chickens makes me feel calm' 

We really see the benefits of animal care and interaction for adults and children that attend our Growing Together therapeutic gardening programmes in South East Essex.   Adults with mental health problems and learning disabilities find looking after animals to be relaxing and therapeutic, reducing stress and anxiety. 

Many of our members live in flats and supported housing, so cannot have pets of their own; they feel that the chickens and guinea pigs we currently have are very special to them – they are the community’s pets. 

'I'm not allowed animals where I live so I really enjoy looking after the pets at Growing Together'

Community Volunteers 

We also have many families come into our gardens at weekends to help care for the pets.  

'I love volunteering to look after the chickens at the weekend.  The eggs are delicious!'

What we do

Trust Links has four Growing Together therapeutic community gardens, which provide gardening programmes and learning opportunities for adults with mental health problems and learning disabilities, local school groups and children and young people. The Growing Together gardens are located in the heart of communities in South East Essex.

With your help we can

• Buy food, bedding and enhance facilities for our four guinea pigs and six chickens
• Provide training in pet therapy for staff
• Pay for vet care and check ups 
• Install a duck house by our large wildlife pond at Growing Together Shoeburyness
• Provide bird feeders, bird seed and viewing facilities at each of our sites

Without your support we will need to downscale the pet facilities we currently have.

This project successfully funded on 30th November 2017