Thursday 2 July 2015

Blooming Marvellous



 
 
 
I once heard the Prince of Wales interviewed about his horticultural pursuits and he indicated toward some alpines that had self-sown in the cracks between the paving and with a chuckle opined “they’re such fun aren’t they?” and I immediately thought now there’s a man who doesn’t have to worry about finding his Council Tax payments. 
 
 

Not being glib at all but for many life is a struggle.  In the bustle to survive, the grind of daily life doesn’t provide opportunities for everyone to concentrate on the minutiae and enjoy the very simple elements in nature.  For the majority, who don’t enjoy great privilege, but who have faced the stark reality of bleak hardship that austerity brings or desolation of mental illness are now finding that there are distinct benefits, both mental and physical, to be derived from something so natural and gentle as the soothing pursuit of gardening.  Indeed, the NHS through their new scheme ‘Health in Horticulture’ are now becoming active in encouraging people with mental health issues to develop skills through gardening and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are also voicing opinion about whether this is something which the NHS should be rolling out nationally as it’s been proven that gardening is good for our health in terms of wellbeing and quality of life. 
 

In fact community wide projects to benefit the wider community are taking shape all across Britain like ‘Greening the Grey’.  This is the RHS initiative which aims to reclaim and create around 6,000 more green spaces from urban and neglected grey spaces.   http://londonist.com/2015/06/greening-the-grey-at-hampton-court-palace-flower-show.php  
 

 
 
Access to green spaces and community garden projects promote physical activity and it’s suggested that people tend to work harder outside than they do undertaking similar tasks inside.  The NHS want to develop a programme to encourage a healthier lifestyle since circa £60billion annually is spent on preventable long term conditions which it is thought could be eased and horticulture is one area where science believes real progress is achievable.
 

Research has shown that the natural world is actually good for us and that those lucky enough to live near and experience green spaces not only have a 50% chance of enjoying better health both physically and mentally but are also 40% less likely to be overweight. 
 
And this year The Wildlife Trust has launched their initiative called ‘My Wild Life’.  Intended to encourage us to stop for a moment and contemplate wildlife and how it impacts on our lives.  In fact to think how we can make it more a part of daily life.  The clear message here is that it can assist the wildlife and their habitat while contributing to the human environment – so everyone gets something out of it. 
 




Contact with nature or the great outdoors is believed in general to have positive effects.  Indeed people resort to nature at times of joy or indeed times of sadness. 


While everyone’s so busy updating their statuses, tweeting and texting it’s worth remembering that nature just carries on as it has for centuries and whether or not we realise it we’re depending on it for our air, our water and our food so if The Wildlife Trust can get people to think more about it then they may become more inspired to take better care of their own local environments. 
 
 
You can look at peoples’ stories at:  www.mywildlife.org.uk

You can get involved in enjoying your local Trust at:  www.wildlifetrusts.org

You can enjoy charity walks at:  www.ramblers.org.uk

You can be proactive with Greening the Grey at:  www.greeningthegrey.org

You can volunteer your time to reclaim green spaces at:  www.tcv.org.uk
 

It’s all visceral in the long run, and that’s it, it’s not so important if we want to produce something brim-full of flowers to enjoy or have the satisfaction of producing our own food.  It’s that it’s inevitably so soothing and comforting.  A balm from life’s freneticism our own tiny slice of paradise that we’ve crafted from our imagination and realised with skill and diligence. 
 


 
Of course no one can be happy as a fairy all the time, but if you find something that resonates with you in that special world within the garden, then it’s great for your physical and mental wellbeing to get involved and create something to eat or to just enjoy right there in your own little oasis right outside your own back door.
 

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