A Wiltshire charity has won a share of our grant funding after being nominated by local GPs.
GPs from The Old Town Surgery in Swindon entered Twigs Community Garden for a Healthy Communities Grant from us.
Practices working in our 560 health buildings around the country were invited to put forward projects which make a difference to health for their patients. Twigs Community Garden will use the funds to build an eco-friendly workshop where people can practice gardening techniques, - helping their mental and physical wellbeing.
Old Town Surgery said: “There is an increasingly strong drive in the NHS to support patients with mental health and social wellbeing and this project is an ideal practical example of how these issues can be addressed.
“By creating a new workshop space, patients will be able to better enjoy their activities at Twigs, including better social integration and the ability to practice newly learnt gardening and related skills.”
Alan Holland , TWIGS Service Manager said: “The grant from Assura will help people experiencing mental health issues to learn new skills , not only in gardening but in sustainable development in regard to environmentally sound building practice . Learning new skills in a safe environment boosts self confidence and self esteem”.
Jonathan Murphy, CEO of Assura, said: “It is always inspiring to see the range of incredible local health projects which GP practices submit to this fund, and this year is no exception. As social prescribing continues to grow, it’s clear that the relationship between the work of local charities and community health has never been stronger and we’re delighted to be supporting that through our buildings.”