Project Nurture believes in the power of the natural environment to promote, transform and enrich people and society. We are a charitable organisation designing and providing therapeutic gardens and green spaces for good causes in society who would not otherwise have access due to disability, ill health or societal disadvantage.
We have been approached by the NHS and service users at The Retreat in West Cliff, Bournemouth, asking for our help. The Retreat, a new and pioneering NHS mental health funded service, jointly led and run by service users, offers a safe place to discuss problems and access peer support. It is available if you are struggling to cope with life and feel yourself approaching a mental health crisis point. The Retreat aims to provide people with a safe and welcoming environment where they can discuss their problems and work towards solutions. Staffed by both mental health professionals and peer specialists (people who have their own lived experience of mental health issues), The Retreat offers out-of-hours support and advice on self-management. It is an open access (just turn up) service. A new eco-therapeutic garden will provide a much needed and asked for space to reflect, connect with nature, undertake therapy, and to find restoration to the body and mind and enable people to effectively deal with their mental health crisis in a better way.
We desperately want to restore and create a therapeutic and sensory garden, at their request, which is both suitable and therapeutic for the needs of the staff, patients and volunteers. Access to nature and gardens is scientifically proven to improve wellbeing, and speed up and maintain recovery and mental and physical fitness.
A new and improved garden space will greatly enhance the therapeutic environment and considerably enhance the wellbeing and recovery of service users. Please help us to enact this vision through your donations.