In August we celebrate National Allotments Week and make open terrariums with Complex Trauma patients.

August 31, 2020

The 10th – 16th August 2020 was National Allotments Week,  Started in 2002 as a way of raising awareness of allotments and the role they play in helping people to live healthier lifestyles, grow their own food, develop friendships, and bolster communities.

The campaign week is still thriving 18 years later and interest in growing your own fruit and vegetables has never been stronger since the WW2 Dig for Victory campaign. The theme for the 2020 National Allotment Week was Growing Food for Health and Well-being which has never been more relevant than now and perfectly reflects what we aim to promote in the delivery of the Horticultural Therapy service here at DMRC Stanford Hall.

It has been a good year for courgettes, pumpkins and squashes which have loved the water and sunshine. Ours are no exception and are rapidly filling up some of our raised beds in the Pears Walled Garden. We are hoping for a bumper crop ready for the autumn and Halloween. The chillies are starting to fruit, and we have enough tomatoes to hopefully contribute towards a decent tomato soup planned by one of our patients.

Neuro Group

Our weekly group session continues, and this month tasks have included sowing herb seeds, pricking out herb seedlings, taking lavender cuttings, and making a mini bug house.

These activities assessed ability to follow verbal and visual instructions; fine motor control/hand function and to problem solve. The mini bug house was particularly useful as a novel task with a series of different elements to practise facilitation of affected and non-affected upper limbs. The current restrictions have meant an increase the number of Neuro OT staff required to support the session, but we have really appreciated the opportunity to work with more of our OT colleagues.

Complex Trauma

Outdoor seed sowing of Winter brassicas, chard and pak choi has filled some of the gaps in the raised beds near the greenhouse and they are progressing well. This also provided opportunity to learn a new skill, develop standing tolerance and balance and to practice carrying a light weight by using the wheelbarrow to carry the vegetation from the cleared raised bed. Open terrariums made with the succulent cuttings taken previously was a good way to learn about a different plant type which will cope with periods of neglect and as such be a good houseplant.

Happy bank holiday,

Jane.

National Allotment Week 2020.

Pumpkin.

Patient seed planting.

Mini terrarium patient session.

2020 Chilli crop coming.

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