Members of the Southampton Marine team recently volunteered at Solent Mind to dismantle a disused garden shed, painting and digging out additional space for flowerbeds.
Solent Mind, the leading mental health charity across Hampshire, has set out to develop a horticultural therapy programme to assist users who are on the mental health recovery journey. Not everyone in the centre of Southampton has access to a garden or is able to travel easily to green spaces, so the garden at Solent Mind is being transformed into a space that is suitable for peer-led horticultural therapy.
Kurt Cowdery, UK Marine, commented: “It’s great to see the work that Solent Mind does, spending valuable time investing in the local community and providing support and a safe place for people to visit and use I am very proud of the Cemex Marine team, led by Susie Taylor, for deciding to support this cause. It’s been well planned, managed and very enjoyable, well done.”
Susie Taylor, Crewing Logistics & Training Coordinator, said: “The last few years have been a challenging time for everyone, and lockdown was especially difficult for people who didn’t have access to a private outdoor space. I was keen to channel my passion for gardening, the natural environment, and exercise, (all of which have helped improve my own mental and physical wellbeing over time) into a volunteer project that the whole of the Marine team could get involved in.
Kate and the staff at Solent Mind were very welcoming and treated us to Danish Pastries a tea break, which was very kind of them! I’m sure the garden will be enormously beneficial to all those who will use it and I’m glad we were able to help make the space a more inviting place for both staff and clients in the future.”
Kate Steaggles, the Networks and Training Co-ordinator (Peer Support), stated in response to the Cemex team support: “Thank you very much for all your hard work helping in our Peer Support office garden at 28 the Avenue over the last couple of weeks. What you have done has made a big difference.
It helps us in beginning to make our garden a calm space where staff, volunteers and service users can all reconnect with nature to help their wellbeing.”
Some Facts about Solent Mind
Solent Mind runs Peer-led recovery services in Southampton and across Hampshire. The peer Supporters are those with lived experience of mental health challenges who help people currently struggling in their mental health recovery. This can be on a 1-1 basis or in groups. The Peer Supporters work within the Primary Care Networks- in the GP surgeries and Community Mental Health Teams.
Solent Mind has several open spaces along with referral groups to support people around Southampton.
Solent Mind also leads in the provision of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services in Hampshire through the iTalk service, which also offers Peer Support.