We are dedicated and passionate about the health benefits that gardening, horticulture and spending time in nature can bring and our aim is to ensure that people with varying needs have the opportunity to access therapeutic gardening and horticulture programmes, wherever they live, and are actively encouraged to use gardening as part of their personal health and wellbeing management.
We have over 40 years’ experience of an approach called social and therapeutic horticulture (STH), where trained horticultural therapists work with plants and people to improve an individual’s physical and psychological health, communication and social skills.
Gardening can bring profound positive change, from improvements in physical and mental well-being to gaining skills, knowledge and abilities.
We work in a variety of ways:
- we facilitate therapeutic programmes at our regional centres in Reading, London and Birmingham
- we also run programmes in care homes, village halls, prisons and other community settings
- we train professionals to deliver STH in their own field
- we provide gardening advice for people with disabilities or ill health to help them carry on gardening
We support and work with a wide range of people... people who have a physical or learning disability; people with mental health support needs; people who may have sensory loss or autism; people with age-related conditions such as dementia, heart problems, diabetes or stroke survivors and also young people who have social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.
Find out more about who we help and meet some of our client gardeners.
I find Thrive a very inspiring place to spend time. I believe that it’s not just the plants that thrive here, but the people who come here too
Imogen - client gardener, London
Thrive can help if you:
- are looking for a place at a garden project for yourself or somebody else
- want to know how to make gardening easier for yourself
- want to understand how gardening can improve your health and wellbeing
- are looking to volunteer at a garden project
- are seeking more information because you are working at or involved in a garden project
- want to know more about social and therapeutic horticulture
To find out more about Thrive download our interactive leaflet
Cultivating Wellbeing in Gardens and Nature
Cultivating Wellbeing in Gardens and Nature is a free-to-access online resource to encourage you to use your garden to spend more time connecting with nature as a tool to restore wellbeing and improve your physical and mental health.
Find out moreThe best way to find out if we can help is by contacting us today on 0118 988 5688 or filling in our enquiry form
Get in touch