Cultivate Connection, Creativity and Community

Over the October half-term, Cultivate (New Hope’s horticultural therapy and wellbeing service) ran a session with some of the families we support in the one of the temporary accommodation sites.

About 15 residents, more than half of which were children, clearly enjoyed the activity and joined together in collective creative expression, laughing, interacting across the generations and discovering their own unique ways to add to a large tree mural, creating a colourful collage of vivid autumn colours.

“I enjoyed drawing, getting messy and having something to do.”

Some feedback from adults “Absolutely wonderful!”

“Kids had fun getting messy, lovely staff. Thank you.”

The residents, together with staff from New Hope and Three Rivers District Council, created the mural for display in their newly restored garden, decorating it with autumn coloured hand prints, and positive messages written on fabric leaves.  The theme of the mural was our universal needs, each of which was written on a root.  Participants were asked to reflect on what these needs meant to them personally and write key words on their fabric leaves which were then stuck to the mural.  Examples of this were “Friendship”, “mum”,  and “acceptance”.

It is well established that spending time in natural spaces such as gardens can be a healing experience of connection and restoration. Many of the families have experienced trauma and dislocation and this is part of an ongoing attempt to encourage residents to enjoy the garden space and benefit from it.  Natural spaces meet many of our needs. Trauma often disconnects us from our needs and so this mural was an attempt to highlight and celebrate our core needs, especially those for community belonging and being creative.