Growing for Life
Ian Bond, New Hope’s Horticultural Therapist and manager of Cultivate tells us more about his work:
“My name is Ian and I am New Hope’s horticultural therapist and manager of Cultivate. I’ve worked at New Hope for over 12 years and you may have met me and my family at some of our Community Market Garden open days over the years.
Cultivate was set up last spring as a way of increasing New Hope’s holistic support, both to New Hope residents and to people who have successfully moved on to their own accommodation.
I run one-to-one horticultural therapy sessions for New Hope residents and with support from Lee Wilson, the Cultivate support worker, and our team of volunteers, facilitate:
gardening activities for individuals and small groups
creative and wellbeing sessions, such as an art workshop
the New Hope Repair Café
trips out to places in the local community, such as a local animal sanctuary
We encourage New Hope service users to lead their own projects, such as designing and constructing a therapeutic garden at New Hope House and running an art group in our Emergency Accommodation. It’s wonderful to see residents supporting one another.
If you ever have the privilege of going on a Walk of Hope and seeing New Hope’s services for yourself, you will see evidence of Cultivate everywhere. Attractive borders and hanging baskets at the Haven, tomatoes and cucumbers growing at our Emergency Accommodation, the therapeutic gardens full of plants pots and raised beds at New Hope House and the Manse, colourful flowers in planters outside the Tenancy Sustainment Team office, and a beautiful garden at one of HopeHomes. (Please scan the QR code at the end of this letter to see for yourself!)
I would love to share with you this story from a New Hope resident, Sam, which shows the role Cultivate played in transforming his life.
“During lockdown, I really struggled with my mental health and anxiety and locked myself in my room, avoiding everyone, not speaking to anyone. My key worker, John, suggested I did the six-week Cultivate horticultural therapy course with Ian. Ian came over to the house and together we worked on transforming the wilderness out the back into a beautiful space with flowers, vegetables, bird feeders and a hedgehog house. In between Cultivate sessions, I went out into the garden each day to look after the plants. The last Cultivate session was a good one. I cut and trimmed the grass in the front garden and planted more plants. The garden looked really impressive, more wildlife friendly and completely different from when we started.
Cultivate helped me to talk and laugh again!
After the course ended, I carried on looking after the garden and John would come over and we’d have our key working sessions there. I was in a much better place, not so anxious and feeling more confident. I applied for a job and John organised some appropriate work clothes and safety gear for me. When I got my first pay check, I called John to say that for the first time I could pay my rent with my own money not Universal Credit or Housing Benefit! I’m really grateful to John for his support and to Ian and Cultivate for helping me get out of my room and into employment.”
Cultivate does not receive any funding from statutory sources and depends on donations from members of the public.
Please could you give £39.90 which would provide someone like Sam with a one-to-one horticultural therapy session?
Research shows people who are homeless are likely to have experienced trauma, often in childhood, such as persistent abuse or neglect. We see people, like Sam, with low self-esteem, low self-confidence and little awareness of their skills and abilities. Many have a mental health condition and many have struggles with personal interaction and social skills. Frequently, people find impulse control difficult and find it hard to regulate emotions.
Cultivate has been specifically designed to help people who have experienced trauma and I work closely with New Hope key workers, such as John, in our residential services to help people in their journey of recovery.
I passionately believe homelessness cannot be fixed by merely putting a roof over someone’s head – to enable someone to truly recover, we need to provide comprehensive and personalised holistic care. I aim to focus on each individual and the steps that individual wants to take to move forward. As a service user recently commented: “[New Hope] actually has a thought process of where we are going, puts hope in a human being, treats you like a human being, you see the rebirth of humans.”
I’d be incredibly grateful if you could donate £39.90 and provide a one-to-one horticultural therapy session. Donations can be made online here.
Thank you
Ian Bond
Cultivate Manager