The opening of a new Sanctuary Garden supporting vulnerable people in London took place yesterday at Thrive, the gardening for health charity.
The garden, situated at Thrive’s London centre in the Main Garden of Battersea Park, offers a safe and accessible space for individuals living with various health conditions or disabilities, particularly those with dementia and their caregivers.
Visitors to the garden and those attending Thrive programmes can benefit from gentle gardening activity, conversation, quiet reflection and enjoyment of wildlife and the changing seasons.
Sensory beds featuring fragrant blooms, attractive foliage, herbs, and vegetables stimulate the senses, supporting mood enhancement, improved cognitive functioning, and alertness while aiding memory and evoking feelings of pleasure.
Multi-level raised planting areas encourage movement, coordination, and dexterity, while sheltered seating areas provide a space for tabletop activities, increased socialisation, and respite.
The garden’s level surface provides ease of access with wide pathways and no dead ends, allowing people with balance and mobility needs, as well as wheelchair users, to move about with confidence.
Raised borders and a lattice fence give a sense of seclusion and safety without feeling restricted, retaining an open view of the garden.
The new Sanctuary Garden will support Thrive London’s Garden Thyme programme.
Here, trained practitioners help people living with dementia or memory loss to engage in gentle gardening activities and nature-based crafts to enhance their well-being and quality of life.
Each session is designed to stimulate the senses, evoke memories and maintain or improve physical abilities through connection with nature and plants while providing social interaction with others.
At the opening, Thrive CEO Ben Thomas warmly welcomed guests, saying, “At Thrive, we support people to live well through gardening. The Sanctuary Garden is enabling us to support more people to improve their health and well-being through spending time in nature, undertaking meaningful gardening activities and joining a positive community.”
Sensory stimulation is invaluable for people with early-onset dementia. Engagement with nature and gardening drives behaviours that reduce the risks of dementia, delaying the onset, slowing the decline and reducing social isolation.
Gardening activities in older age have also been associated with cognitive benefits throughout life, with individuals who spend time gardening shown to have better cognitive function in later life than those who do not.
The Wolfson Foundation, The National Garden Scheme and the Friends of Battersea Park generously funded the creation of the Sanctuary Garden. Strive also wanted to extend its thanks to Robert Dyas and Forest Garden for their kind donation of features for the garden, as well as to its volunteers and supporters who enable the charity to deliver therapeutic gardening to even more people.
To learn more about visiting the Sanctuary Garden and attending a programme at Thrive’s London centre, visit thrive.org.uk/london.
You must be logged in to post a comment.