Patrons The Bishop of Buckingham the Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson Russell Grant Registered Charity No. 1153868 www.lindengate.org.uk Introduction to Lindengate Recovery Self Social Esteem Integration Cooking Volunteers Art & Schools Craft G a r Community Gardening d e E Healthy Businesses s n e n i a Eating t b e i l n The name Lindengate comes from mixing the Old English name for a Lime tree - in r u g ‘Linden’, known for its recuperative and stress-relieving properties and the ‘Gate’, s m E m symbolising passing through on the journey to recovery. nv o Events ir C Conservation on ng Demand for community based mental health services is high and increasing. 1 in 4 m ildi ent Bu people are known to suffer with mental ill health in any year. Social care facilities are needed to relieve strain on mainstream healthcare. Just some of the many facts that A safe and have led to Lindengate’s incredible growth so far. secure As a mental health charity we offer specialized gardening activities to help those with natural mental health needs in their continuing recovery. Our services, known as Social and haven for Therapeutic Horticulture (STH), use the healing power of nature and the outdoors those with mental to improve mental wellbeing, boost self-esteem and social inclusion and encourage health long-term recovery. By getting people out of their homes and mixing with others in needs an outdoor, fresh-air environment it is a catalyst to breakdown their social isolation and encourages the recovery process. And it’s not just our Gardeners (Service Users) that benefit from such an environment. Many of our 150 volunteers experience the positive impact that being a part of the Lindengate community can have on their wellbeing. The value of natural open spaces and gardens has been recognised for centuries, but Socia Hort re l & Therapeutic icultu the use of gardening as a therapy has been more recent. A tailored approach to the process of gardening can help people to achieve their goals and this is supported by a growing body of research evidence. non t -ju por Our Gardeners, can spend time in a managed, calm and safe environment. On our dg up e e, s 5-acre site adjacent to the Wyevale Garden Centre in Wendover, which is big enough m nc to allow us to offer a wide range of gardening and horticultural activities which also enta pende l, encourage inde include landscaping, construction, art and craft and conservation. 2 3 Search for us on: Contents Introduction to Lindengate 3 Social & Therapeutic Horticulture 6-9 Memory Pathways 11 Volunteering 13-15 Events 16-17 TRADITIONAL TAPAS FINE WINES COCKTAILS BEERS Around the Garden 21-24 Community & Corporate Partnerships 26-29 Funder’s List 30 Rosemary’s Story 31 Awards 32 BOOK YOUR OWN Personalised PRIVATE ROOM Paintings Perfect for parties and business events for up to 40 persons Looking for a totally unique gift for a special occasion? Look no further! Original, hand painted, pen and The image size is 390 x 293 mm watercolour artwork, depicting mounted to fit a standard frame size 530 x 425 mm Preparing and cooking tasty, exciting traditional Tapas. personal details – designed to £200 (plus post and packaging) BOOK A TABLE OR BOOK THAT NEXT SPECIAL EVENT... WITH US. make you smile. Perfect as a For more information Email: [email protected] wedding, anniversary or special 01296 622 092 www.trescorazones.co.uk birthday present. All About 4 POUND STREET / WENDOVER / HP22 6EJ 5 Social & Therapeutic Horticulture “My head’s clear for the first time after being here.” “Lindengate has provided me with a safe, welcoming place to enjoy a new hobby. I have felt extremely welcomed and wanted. Staff are always on hand to talk to. It has greatly boosted my confidence and self-esteem and I am so grateful to all at Lindengate.” “Can’t thank you all enough for what you’ve done for me. I love coming here and wish I could come more often.” “Lindengate’s made my life worth living.” At Lindengate we support people with a very wide range of mental health needs, including anxiety, depression, memory loss & dementia and those who feel their wellbeing could be improved. We offer the opportunity to escape some of the stresses of daily life, enabling people to spend time in a managed and calm environment, reducing their isolation and working towards recovery on our wonderful 5-acre site in Wendover. We do this through the medium of Social and Therapeutic Horticulture. Common mental health illnesses like depression and anxiety, are higher than the national average at 15% in our region. Social and care facilities are needed to relieve Activities may take place in the garden, ranging from the strain on mainstream healthcare. Lindengate offers a unique facility, which activities like potting, digging and planting, developing attracts service-users from a wide catchment area. At Lindengate we use the Vona displays or raised flower beds; but we also offer arts du Toit Model of Creative Ability which is an observational tool used by Occupational and crafts, cooking produce grown in the garden Therapists in Buckinghamshire, to help gauge the level of support needed by each and construction. We make a huge variety of things, Gardener (our term for service users). A recognised Wellbeing Scale is used to allow where possible using natural materials from the garden. us to show how our Gardener’s wellbeing improves when they attend Lindengate. While creating these projects Gardeners are using a wide range of skills including: Evidence about Social and Therapeutic Horticulture has shown that it: • Team working • increases mental wellbeing • Leadership • reduces depression, anxiety and stress symptoms • Creativity • improves dementia-related symptoms such as self-esteem, confidence and mood • Patience • improves happiness and quality of life • Listening • increases social contact, inclusion and a sense • Problem Solving of belonging • and increases work skills, meaningful activity and • Fine and gross motor skills personal achievement • Focus and concentration 6 7 “Lindengate’s made my life worth living.” “Thank you for all your help and support over the last year – this time last year I was in a very sorry state! Looking forward to lots more gardening.” Here are what a couple of our Gardeners think of Lindengate: Simon has been attending Lindengate for two and half years and loves coming Our staff team devise programmes for each Gardener group, making sure that the two days a week. He had a severe head injury, which led to mental health activity is suitable for their particular need and skill set. We offer small and larger challenges, when he was young and now has a significant weakness on his left group sessions. side, which makes some tasks difficult to undertake. Simon lives with his parents, but is working hard to be able to live independently. This has been his dream for many years. “The staff are all great; all of you are very friendly and understanding... His confidence and self-esteem has been growing steadily and he is now able to Everyone is really smiley which is nice to see when I arrive. We always work with and alongside other people in a small group on various projects. have a laugh, no matter what we’re doing or even when the weather is A quote from Simon’s parents – “We have noticed such a positive change in about -7 degrees” him, he looks forward to coming to Lindengate. In his own words “It’s like another world”. It’s wonderful to see all the plans and hard work going on, with such a variety of things to do and it’s a lovely environment to work Lindengate fills a gap in local mental health services in alongside caring, compassionate staff and volunteers who have the for those who find it difficult to access more Gardeners’ best interests at heart. traditional day services. Our open space and calming environment allows people who find social interaction difficult to interact as much or as little as they wish. Steven is a 63-year-old man who has fairly recently been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. He lives on his own, used to talk of having no friends or social life and is Referral forms can be found on our website. Please a vulnerable adult often taken advantage of by his local community. Steven started send them to [email protected] Prospective at Lindengate with 1:1 support, once a week. Our individual approach has helped Gardeners will be invited for a short taster session before being invited to attend regular sessions. him to start learning social skills, begin to engage people in conversation, while listening to their point of view. His confidence and self-esteem have slowly grown over the last few months as he’s been encouraged to work on individual projects to “What I love about being here is help develop the site. that nobody demands anything from Steven’s confidence and social ability have vastly improved and he has gained the social skills to successfully join a local choir and gym. Recently Steven you - there’s no pressure. I’ve been remarked that. feeling so much more relaxed since “For the first time I feel part of society.” I started coming.” While we recognise that those who experience mental illness face many barriers in society, we engage in community groups and request support to challenge this stigma. We encourage partnership work with conservation and horticultural groups and local businesses to provide enriching opportunities for Gardeners and volunteers and to consolidate Lindengate’s community presence.