The need of disabled Londoners is great and Thrive has been helping for over 25 years. However, our facilities in Battersea Park urgently need updating so we can work and improve the lives of more disabled people.
Today, our Battersea Garden Project operates from a modest Portakabin and a series of huts and sheds, which are not, in truth, suitable to meet the differing needs of our disabled gardeners.
We have ambitious plans, which have been approved on paper and are shown in the image on the right, for a modest but permanent building which can be used flexibly to accommodate large and small groups. We will
have new training rooms, accessible facilities, a modern 45sqm orangery to provide growing space and refurbished gardens.
These new facilities will allow us to help more disabled Londoners and we particularly want to:
• offer 16 to18 year olds, who have a range of special needs and are at risk of committing a crime or truanting, the opportunity to gain qualifications and improve their physical and psychological health.
• expand our programmes for stroke survivors and help more people in the early stages of dementia to use gardening to reconnect with friends and family.
• work in partnership with local business to offer disabled people an accessible work experience and training programme and the first steps towards employment.
Please help us to turn our plans into reality and contact us if you can help in any way.
We urgently need additional funds and donations big and small will be gratefully received. This is how your money could help:
£30 could buy 100 bricks for our new building
£50 could buy a kitchen unit
£75 could buy a seat for the orangery
£150 could pay for one day with a horticultural therapist
Perhaps you could help us with specialist skills or by donating materials? If so, please call our National Office on 0118 988 5688 or send us an email
Thank you for caring.
Find out more about the Battersea redevelopment: