People Matter: Wickes to boost mental health through supporting community garden projects
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week, Wickes reflects on the impact their Community Programme is having on wellbeing projects in schools and local community spaces.
Already this year over 7,800 children and adults have benefited from gardening products to transform and improve outdoor spaces that promote mental wellbeing.
Wickes are donating more garden items to community spaces than ever before in an effort to support well-being. Encouraging people to spend more time outdoors is known to be an effective way to boost mood and de-stress.
The focus on providing more facilities to support Mental health in the community is on the increase and frequently provided by charities like this one in East Sussex. The East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden Project, provides a safe space for the whole community who struggle with mental health by providing therapeutic gardening activities. They rely solely on donations to be able to continue to provide this valuable service in the community. Through the Wickes Community Programme, they were provided with the products they needed to fix their shed to ensure they can store their equipment safely.
A large number of other different organisations that have little funding for outdoor projects have also received support. Thanks to a donation from Wickes, Great Chart Primary School was able to build a sensory garden so the children have an outdoor space where they can reflect, learn and have a calmer mind.
Head Teacher of Great Chart Primary School Wendy Pang said “The sensory garden will help our pupils connect to nature and encourages them to learn through exploration, curiosity, problem-solving and creativity. When our budget for this project was removed we thought it would have to go on hold until we could find another way to fund it. It would have taken us years to complete the project without the help from Wickes.”
Gary Kibble, Chief Marketing Officer at Wickes said: “This year we’re seeing an increase in the number of community projects who are requesting support for wellbeing projects, especially gardens. As part of our commitment to local communities, our stores have provided gardening products such as timber sleepers, soil, garden tools, plants and so much more benefiting over 7,800 children and adults”
The Wickes Community Programme is open to all local community groups seeking help for improvement projects, and any groups interested in applying for a product donation should head into their local store to speak to the manager.
The news comes as Wickes have fundraised over £100k in less than seven days for their new charity partner The Brain Tumour Charity.
