Sowing the seeds of better mental health

The Princess of Wales says nature is a family sanctuary. Now a new programme is helping to change lives at a famous botanical attraction with plans to roll it out to five other sites.

- By Hanna Geissler

WHEN most people think of the Eden Project, they picture the distinctive biomes or remember fondly a day spent wandering through the humidity of one of the world's largest indoor rainforests.

What they may not know is that, alongside the exotic flora and fauna, there are quiet gardens in the Cornwall site's Outer Estate where the charity has pioneered a transformative mental health programme.

For a few hours each day, locals who have self-referred or been put in touch by a GP, social prescriber or hospital come to share a cup of tea and help with tasks such as sowing seeds or tending vegetable patches.

It may sound simple but the opportunity has been life changing for participants such as Roger Boniface, 61, a veteran who served for nine years as an aircraft electrician on a field helicopter squadron. He suffered spinal damage from heavy lifting in the 90s, causing pain that became chronic around six years ago.

“My wife was working, I could no longer work. I didn’t have any transport, I could barely walk for 20 yards without a stick,” said Roger.

“So I was at home most of the time and I was becoming a bit reclusive to be honest, really going in on myself and ignoring anything outside the house.

“I had been a provider all my life - not being able to provide hit me badly. When you can't do simple things like lifting a full kettle without being in pain, it really is depressing. It changes your life completely”

Eden's Therapeutic Horticulture programme was recommended by a social prescriber at Roger's GP surgery in February 2024. Having always enjoyed gardening, he decided to try it. The grandfather-of-one was nervous about being around people he did not know, but with the support of staff and volunteers, the sessions “brought me out of my shell”.