The Scottish Government offered Trellis - the Scottish Therapeutic Gardening Network - a Sustainable Action Grant of £33,437 in 2006-07, £30,265 in 2007-08 and £30,776 in 2008-09 for a project to provide support, information and advocacy to a network of therapeutic gardening projects throughout Scotland through networking events, an annual conference and a newsletter. It enabled disabled and disadvantaged people to improve their health and quality of life through cultivating and conserving local land, helping build sustainable communities and creating environments contributing to health and wellbeing.
Scottish garden projects renovate neglected sites and are havens for wildlife, conserving biodiversity. Many produce local food, thereby improving food access and contributing to healthier diets and understanding of good nutrition. Recycling and re-use, planting trees and shrubs, and composting waste helps towards reducing climate change by sequestering or decreasing carbon.
Trellis recruited staff and established an office in Perth. Trellis was successful in obtaining funding from other bodies, including Lloyds TSB Foundation, The Gannochy Trust, and Awards for All.
From an incipient network of 83 projects, Trellis had 149 therapeutic garden projects on their database by 2009. Trellis ran an information service to put potential volunteers in touch with projects seeking volunteer help.
During the first year there were network meetings in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. In the second year these continued in Broughty Ferry, Ayrshire, Inverness, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Poolewe (Wester Ross), Glasgow, and Arbroath. There were six network meetings from June 2008 to January 2009 in Edinburgh (Gogarburn and the Botanic Garden), Perth, Glasgow, Inverness and Kilsyth.
There was a conference, attracting 100 delegates, in Dundee in March 2007 - a successful first event. The March 2008 conference in Dundee was attended by 93 delegates, and 91 delegates representing 48 projects attended the conference in March 2009, with the theme of 'Scottish Policy: The Gardening Contribution'.
The quarterly Network Newsletter 'The Propagator' was launched. With the Awards for All grant the website www.trellisscotland.org.uk was developed. A project map was gradually populated with network project locations, to allow people to find projects in their area and to advertise their services via links from the map to their own websites. A publicity leaflet was designed and printed. An awareness-raising poster promoted the benefits of horticulture at conferences and shows.
Trellis gave various talks and presentations, such as to occupational therapy and general medical staff at Perth Royal Infirmary, and consultant doctors and senior occupational health practitioners at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy. Trellis had stalls at a Centre for the Built Environment seminar in Glasgow in September 2008 and a Physical Health and Activity seminar and conference (Edinburgh and Perth), and a stall at the Gardening Scotland Show, June 2008.
There was advisory involvement in landscape design for a new acute hospital at Larbert and for a new Dundee Hospital development at Carseview, and collaboration with the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society to promote green spaces and gardens within Lothian hospitals.
There was coverage of Trellis's work in publications such as 'Land Business' (journal of the Rural Property and Land Owners Association) and newsletters of related organisations, such as Community Food and Health Scotland and Forth Valley Food Links. With over 15 features in national broadsheets, on BBC Radio Scotland and in respected, high-circulation trade magazines, Trellis improved the recognition of the important work of gardening projects. In response to media coverage people phoned up to become volunteers, to donate, to get help to start a new project, or just to find out more.
Data was continually collected and analysed to measure the impact of activities on intended beneficiaries.
Trellis collaborated with other bodies - publicising the project by presenting a workshop at a Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens conference and with a stall at the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society conference. This offered considerable benefits to short-staffed gardening projects, with participants able to attend one meeting instead of two separate events.
There were study tours in partnership with the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens for MSPs, health promotion workers, service purchasers and policy makers, allowing them to see at first hand the positive impact on people and communities of garden projects. The Trellis development manager presented a short address in the Scottish Parliament in September 2007 for the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society 'Garden Scotland' campaign aiming for better recognition for the importance of gardening to Scotland's economy, health, environment and communities.
Trellis became a member of FEVA, the Forum for Environmental Volunteering Associations, and of the 'Garden for Life' Forum, promoting biodiversity and health through gardening.
With Lottery Fund grant, a partnership with the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens began in July 2008, with joint networking and training events, employing field staff to visit project sites to provide tailored advice and support and pooling resources to boost awareness and recognition for therapeutic, community and allotment gardening projects.
Conclusion
This project helped gardening projects become less isolated and an exchange of good practice and support. It helped new projects to set up. Over 540 people attended network meetings and conferences over the grant period, gaining new skills and contacts. Approximately 3725 disabled and disadvantaged people and a further 1500 staff, volunteers and management committee members directly benefitted from the activities funded by this grant, with many acres of green space cared for by people in the network. This also brought further indirect benefits to scores of communities across Scotland.
Contact
Trellis
40 St John Street
Perth. PH1 5SP
Tel: 01738 624348
E-mail: info@trellisscotland.org.uk