Our talented Horticultural Occupational Therapists – Jane and Grace, who provide therapy at DMRC Stanford Hall – have recently attended two conferences allowing them to network and increase their knowledge of development in horticultural therapy. These conferences provide valuable opportunities to ensure our delivery is using best practice, gain new ideas, and increase the understanding of what HighGround delivers at DMRC. Jane and Grace have come away buzzing with ideas, confidence in what they do and with a hope that perhaps they can present at future conferences.

13th March Trellis conference

Fiona Thackery (CEO) gave opening address, referring to Horticultural Therapy (HT) as a “…secret weapon, used for recovery, rehabilitation and prevention.” It is a person-centred and evidence-based approach, which can help anyone, anywhere. She highlighted the facts that HT has a sustainable effect on wider healthcare, by improving symptoms and therefore reducing frequent attendance to other services, with a pivot towards ill-health prevention rather than cure; describing HT as the “intersection between healthcare and horticulture”.

Grace attended 3 workshop sessions:

1. Horatio’s Garden (Glasgow) presented by Chelsea Lowe, head gardener there. Her overview of how they work within the gardens both with patients, families and staff gave ideas for initiatives which might be possible within the DMRC Unit
2. Southton Smallholding tour led by Norma Forbes: a therapeutic horticulture project providing day care and skills based learning for adults with mild to moderate learning difficulties. The project employs a “no dig” approach to sustainable, organic vegetable growing
3. “Why don’t we go into the garden?”, facilitated by Debbie Carroll from Step Change Design. This was an interactive workshop using resources developed from a project exploring the barriers which prevent care home residents accessing the garden spaces around their home. The learning and resources from this are applicable to other settings and can be used to review and critique existing spaces as well as any future planning to expand provision of services by HighGround

Jane attended 3 workshop sessions:

4. Healthy Bugs, Healthy People presented by Neil Clapperton, from Buglife Scotland. Neil gave an overview of how to increase pollinators in decline and their habitats through planting orchards. This gave ideas for developing woodland space/stumpery at DMRC to create different habitats for plants, fungi and insects and increase session variety for patients
5. Cultivating Mental Health in NHS Primary Care – Emma Martindale & Helen Foulkes. A presentation by Trellis fieldworkers outlining a new programme delivered at a local GP practice. Positive impact reporting using the 5 Ways To Wellbeing Model, provided inspiration to present our own work using outcomes from our patient feedback questionnaires
6. Horticulture Masterclass: Lawn Scarification & Using Mulches On Beds – Brian Cunningham, Head Gardener at Scone Palace. Practical and theoretical learning great revision and reassurance that our horticultural practice is up to date as well as an opportunity to spend time outdoors in the walled garden

The day was an inspiring opportunity to hear how other projects have developed and delivered their services, with space to reflect on our provision at DMRC.

19th March The Safe Green Space Symposium, Serge Hill

A day packed with different presentations, case studies and panel discussion and an opportunity to spend time at the Serge Hill Project, Hertfordshire. The symposium explored and mapped current and future landscapes of social and therapeutic horticulture and social prescribing.

Our main take home points were the importance of using patient feedback and data collated to demonstrate impact and benefits as well as being clear how funders/donors can contribute to achieving core goals of the service.