Local Blind Gardeners’ Clubs 
This photo shows Thrive’s friends, Mark and Chris, helping on the Gardeneyes stand at the Sandringham Show.
Mark is blind and works in the equipment centre at the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind. He is a keen gardener and regularly comes to Thrive’s gardening weekends. He was inspired to start a gardening club for blind and partially sighted people local to his home.
Mark comments: “I work here with Norfolk and Norwich Association for the blind, we have recently formed a gardening group called ‘Gardeneyes’. We have worked through Thrive to run some gardening workshops in Norwich. There are a lot of blind and partially sighted people in Norfolk who do enjoy gardening. We share hints and tips and different gardening ideas on the tools we use.
“We have also recently held a display of gardening tools and leaflets as well as some plants and produce at the Sandringham Flower Show. So that’s been quite nice. The gardening group has only been running about a year but we are gradually looking at extending the number of meetings we are running and looking at more outings and looking at different people we can have to come to talk to us.”
If you would like to start a club near you, but are feeling a little daunted because you’re not sure where to start, Thrive can help!
We are producing a booklet with lots of ideas, tips from other people, programme ideas and useful contact details. We can also give more practical support by running a workshop to help get you and your group started.
Contact our Information Service or call us on 0118 988 5688. Alternatively, you can write to us: National Blind Gardeners’ Club, Thrive, The Geoffrey Udall Centre, Beech Hill, Reading RG7 2AT
Did you know?
There is lots of information on gardening with a disability, some free advice leaflets and a range of Briefing Sheets for social and therapeutic horticulture professionals.
Click here to start searching.