We are lucky to have the heating on in the greenhouse but it is far from tropical. Seed sowing has started and germination is taking place as we speak. It is always so exciting when we discover that seed coats have been popped and little leaves are appearing. Although, we have had night time visitors who have also found them interesting…..mices!! They have scoffed cornflower seeds, chewed bulbs, nipped off the tops of our lupin seedlings and eaten many chillies (they must have cast iron stomachs). I learned my lesson last year when I thought ‘live and let live’ but they just go too far. So I have been driven to adminster chocolate spread to deal with the problem. Hopefully they will get the idea and move on!

In January we have been busy planting and potting bulbs. The bulbs were a kind donation by our great friend David Hogg from Buckland Nurseries who also donated many, many packets of seeds too. The potted bulbs will be sold through the ‘Farm Shop’ later in the Spring to swell the coffers.

I am very interested in building a bug hotel – a big one. I am in discussion with Zeno from the woodwork dept and hoping he may be persuaded to construct the framework with patients. My patients will have the fun of filling the pigeonholes with various materials to encourage the creatures and we will have another useful addition to our therapeutic space.

We have visited RHS Wisley in January too. My patient thoroughly enjoyed photographing the model vegetable garden, the Witch Hazels in the Woodland, the beautiful cornus and willow around the lake and the exotic butterflies in the Glasshouse fluttering about. I hope to continue to take patients to RHS Wisley as the opportunities for the improvement of physical and emotional wellbeing are enormous in this wonderful place.

My future plans for the ‘Farm Shop’ will include cut flowers this year. We have already germinated larkspur, rudbeckia, lupins and sweet peas, to name a few. I am hoping the flowers will be a lovely attractive addition to our veggies. In fact I have a cunning plan… I have been tasked to put my florist hat on and make the flower arrangements for the Burns Night ‘do’ in the Officers Mess. In the future I could sell them the flowers for the arrangements needed for all their social gatherings – good plan?

Some of my patients have been coming to Horticulture ever since I began here. They arrived broken – literally – and it has been wonderful to see them go from strength to strength. With the horticultural knowledge some patients have gained they have carried on growing at home and with their families. Now we have the addition of the hens, I am able to share the fresh eggs and veggies too, something for patients to take home other than an exercise regime with the dreaded ‘goals’ attached.

It has been an amazing year and I look forward to the next with all the challenges that will bring!!

Carol

2015 is going to be a big year for us and we will shortly be recruiting for an Office Manager who can provide ‘front of house’ support for the growing number of people who are contacting HighGround now that our profile is beginning to increase.

Liz continues to help with finance and fundraising and we thank her very much for her continued loyalty and support – they literally are priceless.

We are delighted to welcome Alex Hardman to the Development Board. Alex is ex 1 Para and now works as Programme Leader in Outdoor Education at Plumpton College and he has played a pivotal role in establishing and delivering the pilot Rural Weeks at Plumpton which has led to our agreeing the 2015 Rural Weeks programme of which more later. The next Development Board meeting will be at Horseferry Road in February and we are extremely grateful to everyone who continues to give of their time and contacts so generously – none of this would be possible without you.

Now that we have delivered the pilot weeks and we know our ‘direction of travel’ getting the message out is critical.

We have a Press Room section on our website for articles which appear in the media about HighGround and this month we featured in Equipped magazine which specialises in recruitment. I am extremely grateful to all the wonderful PR specialists who give so freely of their time to advise me and give me opportunities to publicise our work – it is a very crowded marketplace and I’m sure I must be very annoying as I keep pestering you..!

In this evidence-based world in which we now live, it is vital that the work we do is properly evaluated so that our funders and supporters can be reassured that their money is being well spent on projects which provide long term and sustainable benefit to the people who access them.To that end, Aberdeen University and King’s College London will be conducting a 2 year longditudinal study into the benefits of HighGround’s services which will begin once funding has been secured. I will keep you up to date with their progress as we move forwards.

Thanks to the wonderful people at Reach Skills we have identified another IT volunteer who will join Rob to help us develop the infrastructure to manage the increasing number of people who are engaging with us both wanting to find land-based employment, and offering to provide it – welcome Other Rob!

“It has been made clear that the life skills I have developed throughout my career are transferable and desirable to all aspects of the rural sector.”
Stuart. RAF Avionics SNCO.

HighGround is a charity that simply wants to help, in whatever way it can. It recognises that military people are outdoors types who, having served their country, may now wish to pursue a second career in the countryside. Whether you are interested in further education, contacts for possible employment opportunities or help with setting up your own business, HighGround is eager to assist.” Major Kate Philp RA. Pilot week participant.

The last word goes to Des Lambert, Principal of Plumpton College: “We are very proud to be working with HighGround and helping them develop their programme. The participants so far have been keen and enthusiastic and hopefully we have been able to give an insight into the wide range of land-based opportunities which the college teaches for. The land-based world is a diverse one with many opportunities in addition to production agriculture. We hope this will be a long association with HighGround and ironically we are fulfilling one of the objectives which the College was set up for in 1919, following the First World War, which was to train personnel leaving the Armed Forces for a career in the land-based industries.”