Seeding Hope has started tree nurseries within prisons to provide holistic therapy and accredited horticultural qualifications giving men access to career skills in their future lives. These trees are then planted in woodlands in the UK. 

It is widely accepted that disconnection from nature profoundly impacts humans of all ages – particularly those in an already fragile or vulnerable emotional state.

This project recognises that with the huge increase in tree-growing schemes there is a significant increase in the trees required. We believe these trees should be bio-secure, native species of locally sourced woodland, hedging and fruit trees. At Seeding Hope we feel we are creating a perfect closed loop between the need for meaningful qualifications, the need for the trees and the needs of the prison residents.

"Mental health and well-being challenges in prisons are growing fast amongst residents, with [...] 15% of men in prison reporting symptoms indicative of psychosis. Self-inflicted deaths are 6.2 times more likely in prison than in the general population." [Prison Reform Trust 2019]

We have started well but we need your help to continue growing people, growing trees. You can help by sponsoring trees in our nurseries, growing hope from the inside.

What we are fundraising for

We are asking for your support to help us to cover the cost of delivering the therapeutic framework across our first 2 flagship prison projects. Whilst being the initial pilot schemes these prisons also represent the selling point which we will invite other governors to visit when we are growing the project across the wider prison estate. 

As the result of our established relationships at HMP Maidstone and HMP Whitemoor, we have developed a collaborative funding model where the prisons themselves are paying for the resident's City & Guilds qualifications. The most unique element of this project, however, is the therapeutic aspect which is the dynamic intervention which has been designed to help the individuals to overcome their past patterns and mental health issues. 

It is this therapeutic element that we need your help to finance. This is what makes our project totally unique and holds the other elements together. We have built the cost of delivering the whole course into the trees we are growing, each tree you sponsor will enable us to deliver our whole program.

We don't want to leave anything out!   

How we work

Trees

At Seeding Hope we believe that it is a vital part of our inheritance to pass on to the next generations to come to the most dynamic and biodiverse native tree species possible. In the UK we have some of the highest numbers of ancient veteran trees still growing in the Western world, and these trees are a vital store of strong genetic material reflected in their strength and longevity. By gathering seeds, cuttings and other materials from the ancient woodlands that we cover, we are helping to protect the future of our woodlands that can so often be taken for granted. 

Therapy

The most unique element of this project is the therapy which is the dynamic intervention which has been designed to help individuals to overcome their past patterns and mental health issues. 

We have brought together a team of highly experienced and highly qualified practitioners who include:

• Forensic Psychologist
• Nutritional Therapist
• Specialist Life Coach 
• Holistic Therapist/ NLP practitioner 

Combined the therapeutic team represent over 120 years of experience in the field.

Qualifications

Providing meaningful education is fundamental to increasing self-esteem, preparing for life outside prison and increasing hope. Our program involves providing accredited City & Guilds courses in Horticulture. 

On top of the benefits while the men are in prison, horticulture is a growing sector of the economy that is desperately in need of qualified people. It is a great job waiting for the guys when they get out.

Evidence

The design of our program has incorporated evidence-capture processes from the beginning. This will allow us to demonstrate the impact we are having on mental health, behaviour and staff morale and provide a sustainable foundation for our long-term objectives.

Pilot Projects

In the current climate where we are experiencing a cost of living crisis, some might ask why should we support people in prison. We often hear that people living inside have a "cushy number".

Through working with our sister organisation, Greener Growth, we have spent a lot of time inside over the last 12 years. We can confidently say that it is not an easy life. 

If the system spits people out in a worse state than when they went in, the whole of our society suffers. Keeping people inside, without true rehabilitation is a waste of time and resources.

We believe that giving people hope with a holistic emphasis on rehabilitation and reintegration is the key which is proven by the low rates of recidivism reflected in the Scandinavian prison system. 

"Norway has one of the lowest recidivism rates among Western nations, at approximately 20 percent. Norway also has, along with other Scandinavian countries, a unique approach to its prison system...  with a focus on the encouragement of reintegration of inmates into society. With the educational opportunities and normalization techniques found in Norway’s open prisons, this country’s prison system has rehabilitation at its core"[Coastal Carolina University 2016]

What we have achieved so far