In Cymru (Wales), there’s a saying: “dod yn ôl at fy nghoed”, which translates as “to come back to my trees”, meaning to return to a positive state of mind. To ground oneself in a moment of stress or chaos; the saying is indicative of our connection to the natural world.
It’s widely felt that being outside, stepping back to the trees, is a fundamental tool in maintaining and improving our well-being, but have you ever been prescribed a sojourn in nature, or the garden, by a doctor?
Last year's home grown 'tatos.
It was very heartening to read this article on the BBC, all about a community garden in Gosport that is being lovingly tended by individuals who have been socially prescribed gardening. The aim? To avoid medication for a variety of conditions, such as high cholesterol, anxiety, diabetes and stress.
The article states that the improvements one primary care lead has seen in patients includes those who have reversed type two diabetes, and others who no longer need to take statins to manage their cholesterol. Which is pretty amazing - and most certainly something we should all take note of.
One patient goes on to say, 'it's just socialising, it's quiet and a sense of doing something useful.' Any of us who have spent time doing a physical task, be that out in the garden or some DIY, likely share that sentiment. Our brains can be loud, and sometimes our worst enemy, but there is peace to be found in getting busy with our hands, and moving our bodies, especially when we can lean back at the end of the day and feel a sense of accomplishment.
Our farmer neighbour gifted us LOTS of manure for our veg patches - lucky us.
There is something fundamentally lovely about community gardens. Tending the earth with and for the people you live in proximity to is, ultimately, tending to one another - a symbiotic act of care.
Being socially prescribed gardening tackles not only the physical ailments our bodies might be struggling with, but the mental and emotional struggles we're facing, too. A Woodlands Trust study in 2023 found that 86% of people feel being amongst nature positively affects their mental health, and the Royal Horticultural Society found that those who garden every day have stress levels 4.2% lower than those who don’t at all (my partner is a food grower and gardener, and one of the least stressed people I know - it checks out!).
Peas from the garden.
Wonky, wild radishes from the garden.
Where Craft Courses is based in west Wales, there are a couple of non-profit organisations (Ein Cegin and Fynnon Community Resilience) who, amongst other food and nature based projects, occasionally host big community dinners, using locally grown produce. These feasts are affordable (sometimes free). You sit at communal tables, squished between neighbours and strangers and friends-of-friends, eating nutritious food grown a stone's throw away, and meeting new people.
Learning about those being socially prescribed gardening gives me hope that there could be a demand for more organisations like these (and ultimately more funding), enabling more community gardens to come to fruition, with more people being prescribed gardening, resulting in more people growing, cooking and eating together - and thriving because of it!
Mega elephant garlic haul from the allotment.
I really hope that more of us are encouraged to get outside, to get familiar with the land, and to connect with our local communities. I want everyone to have the chance to share a meal and a conversation with their neighbours, eating food planted, tended and harvested by the many hands of the community.
If you've been inspired to get your hands in the soil, or even to look into setting up a community garden, or a community dinner, then have a browse of these courses - maybe this is where that journey will begin for you!
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