Thrive, Birmingham was awarded £250,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund in support of projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the funding enabled us to run a mental health programme for women called Growing Out and restore key areas of the garden including the historic TV gardens, making them more accessible and welcoming for all. Accessibility improvements were key to the project seeing upgraded paths, clearer signage and literature, and a new sheltered workspace for all-weather activities. By developing more wildlife habitats, we also aim to increase biodiversity in the gardens.
The funding has helped us to make positive change and engage with the local community, promoting wellbeing, inclusion and heritage through gardening. We are delighted to see community gardeners and volunteers, who help us to take care of this special place, foster ownership and local investment in the gardens. Over 30 community groups have now attended, and as a result, we have welcomed over 1000 visitors in the last 18 months.
Head of Client Services Sarah Bowers spoke with pride about the project’s success and the achievements made over the past two years. She said: “The project, which at its heart was community focused, supports local community in our neighbourhood, our client gardeners and volunteers, and the garden itself as a community resource. We wanted more people to benefit from our programmes and being in these beautiful gardens. The team have achieved phenomenal results through open days, garden tours, community events.
The legacy of this project will go on, as we continue our work to adapt and share this wonderful garden resource with visitors. Thank you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the generous funding of this ambitious project and for reconfirming what we knew all along, that this place makes a difference to people's health and wellbeing."
The gardens at Thrive, Birmingham have a rich legacy as a tv broadcast location for Pebble Mill and Gardener’s World. In addition to their media fame, the gardens played a vital role in horticultural training, supporting programmes through the School of Horticulture in partnership with Pershore and Bournville Colleges.
Today, the gardens are used for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) programmes, where our trained practitioners and dedicated volunteers work with client gardeners to support their health through gardening.
